Harvest Moon: The Valentine Conspiracy
by The Rune Reverend
Summary: Jack Harris wants to leave behind a life of fame and anguish to return to his grandfather's farm in the hopes of living a simpler life-which is made all the more complicated by the simultaneous affections of three of Flowerbud's lovely ladies.
1. The Final Curtain

"HARVEST MOON: THE VALENTINE CONSPIRACY"

A Harvest Moon fanfiction by: Rune Reverend

Author's Note: I wrote this a while ago and I've decided to put it up. Mind you, it might not be as up to snuff as my most recent work, but its still a fun read. I hope you guys enjoy it. As with my other HM fanfics, it has a less than conventional start for our protagonist, Jack. In this story, before the start of the events in Back to Nature, Jack works as a popular professional wrestler by the name of Ace Valentine. He's a tired, worn out man and he just wants to go home. But fame and the people who are latched on to him as a massive celebrity aren't as willing to just let him walk away. What starts as a plan to simply get away and live a simpler life turns into a conspiracy that will change the people who live in Flowerbud forever.

**** Chapter One: "The Final Curtain" ****

Ace Valentine slammed up against the corner turnbuckle and prepared for the coming elbow. With tremendous force, The man known as The Cleaver slammed into Ace and drove his elbow into the side of his head. Stunned, Ace dropped to the mat and sighed to himself.

Amidst the sweat and blood pouring down his face, the roar of twenty thousand people deafening in his ear, and the bright lights blinding him from up above, Ace could instinctively feel what was next. The crowd's roar built up as though they sensed something significant was coming. They had no idea, Jack thought to himself.

The finisher was the exclamation point of a wrestling match. And Cleaver's was, unfortunately, more sizzle than steak. Looked great, but didn't hit very hard. Aaron would climb the turnbuckle and launch his six foot, two-hundred-and-forty-pound body across the ring, eight feet in the air at least, until he finally planted both his elbows onto Ace's chest. It was one of his signature moves, the Sky Scraper. Sure enough, Ace could practically tell where Aaron was by the sound of the audience. He listened to their cries and BAM Cleaver landed on top of him hard.

Ace was dizzy, fatigued, and physically and emotionally spent. And for good reason. Tonight was the biggest night of both his and Cleaver's careers. It was Sunday night at the biggest wrestling Pay-Per-View of the year: Revolution. And the two men in the ring were of differing contrast.

One corner was Aaron "The Cleaver" Cliver, the skilled rookie who debuted at Revolution the previous year. An all-American amateur wrestler, former illegal cage fighter, and massive hulking corn-fed country boy with a cropped head of blonde hair, a menacing stare and a wicked habit for crippling hits and submission holds. He ascended the ranks quickly and become an unlikely-but popular-contender for the American Wrestling Federation's biggest title: the World Heavyweight Championship-a title Ace had won multiple times and had held longer than anyone in the company's history. Last year, Cleaver had debuted but this year he was trying for the third time to secure the title. He'd tried to take it from some of the best wrestlers in the business. 'The Baron' Raymon Vilaar and 'The Storm' Matthew Skinner were among those who'd defended the title against Cleaver, but managed to fend him off.

And on the other side of the ring was Ace Valentine, the successful and charismatic champion. Ace had all that life could offer him: money, fame, women, and legions of followers who lived and died each week only to see him wrestle. He was a stark contrast to the larger Cleaver, who had a small following and more mat skills than Ace did. Ace was a brawler by heart and a high-flier second, but he felt weak and thinned out tonight.

It would be over soon.

Ace had seen to it in the weeks leading up to the pay-per-view that he had forced Cleaver to put everything on the line: The title and their careers. It was an hour long Iron Man match, with the score currently at 5-5 and with only a minute remaining on the clock. It was also a "loser-leaves-town" match. The loser would lose his contract and would be forced to leave the Federation permanently.

It was a match Ace Valentine had no intention of winning.

"For Pete's sake, Cleaver!" Ace thought to himself. "Why'd you have to use that stupid elbow?"

Cleaver covered Ace for the pin and the ref counted 1...2...

Ace kicked out suddenly. No way was he going down to Cleaver's stupid Sky Scraper, not a chance! Ace had to swallow the rising shame that he had been feeling for the past eight weeks. It was his pride. He wanted to lose, but not in such a way that it made him look like a pushover. Ace had taken some of the most brutal beatings in his short career and he intended to make it look like he had been nearly killed to be pinned.

30 seconds left...

Cleaver stood up and cursed, slamming his hands to the mat. Ace had kicked out of all three of his finishers: The Iron Cross, the Irondriver, and now the Sky Scraper! On the mat, Ace waited for Cleaver to make his next move.

20 seconds...

Ace thought fleetingly of jumping up and knocking Cleaver's teeth in. He had the reserves. He could fight for another minute, clean Cleaver's clock, take him down with his own finisher, The Massacre, and retain the championship. He'd be the man again!

15...

Ace squelched that idea. It was his fourth run as champ. He's been the man and all that. Cleaver grabbed him by the hair and hauled him to his feet. Cleaver ran his thumb across his throat, gesturing to the crowd that it was time to end it all. Ace couldn't agree more.

10...

Cleaver scooped Ace up and readied him with a variation of the Cradle Piledriver.

9...

Unexpectedly, he strolled backwards and used his feet to climb the turnbuckle.

8...

He reached the top turnbuckle and looked around.

7...

Ace closed his eyes and prepared for the Irondriver...delivered from the top turnbuckle!

6...

The crowd's roar was deafening. Ace would pull out of it, he always did! if they only knew Ace had no intention of justifying their faith in him.

5...

Ace prayed to God. "Let me be safe."

4...

Allan launched himself off, soaring through the air.

3...

BAM! Ace hit head first and folded up like an accordion.

2...

Cleaver hooked Ace's leg. The ref counted "ONE!"

1...

"TWO!"

0...

"THREE"

"BZZZT!" The buzzer announced the end of the match. The crowd, on its feet, looked on in disbelief. It was draw, they knew. The announcer looked in confusion at the referee, who threw hand symbols at him. The two men came to the side of the ring and argued for a moment. The play-by-play announcer and the color commentator argued if the match was a draw or if the three count was done.

After a moment, the announcer nodded and grabbed his microphone, standing in the ring; the ref grabbed the AWF World title belt and held it. Cleaver stood to his feet, anxious to hear the result. Ace stood up with help from another ref. Blood flowed down from the wound on his forehead. Cleaver had hit him with a chair and cut him open, but he wasn't concerned.

The announcer said, "Ladies and gentleman, the referee's decision has been made. Because the three-count was completed before the buzzer, it was done within the limits of the match."

The crowd sensed what was next and reacted. It was beyond simple booing or cheering, but rather a plethora of raised voices that almost drowned out the announcer, whose next words threw the building in an uproar. "Therefore, the winner of the match...AND NEW AWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION...AARON "THE CLEAVER" CLIVER!"

Ace felt a terrible weight lift from his shoulders. The crowd's roar was silent to him. He shook his head, turning his thick mane of long brown hair into a blood slinging mop. He was dimly aware of the ref handed a ten pound, golden belt to a shocked Cleaver. The young man merely stared at it. The ref raised his hand in victory. He was simply too shocked over the win to even register that he was the Champ now.

It was the first time in three years that anyone, much less a rookie, had pinned Ace to the mat and scored a clean win. Yet, here he stood as the new champion. He turned to Ace, who had started to make his way out of the ring and stopped him. "Hey!"

Ace paused, stepping back in as Cleaver came over to him.

"Ace...I'm sorry, man!" He yelled above the crowd's clamor. It surprised Ace. He and Cleaver had been bitter rivals for the last year or so. The two had insulted each other, decimated each other, torn their bodies apart so badly that it shocked Ace to hear Clever say that.

But Allan knew the ramifications of their match and truthfully he hadn't expected to win it. The bookers had even gone so far as to not put Cleaver's name on the card for the night following the PPV. And Ace was their star attraction, their hero. He'd done movies, TV, music, a book...Ace was one of the most famous celebrities on the face of the planet and now he was gone.

Ace shook his head softly. "I'm not."

It happened so fast, Ace wasn't sure it had happened. Cleaver suddenly shot forward and Ace was sure the man would knock him out, but instead he wrapped his arms around the other man in such a touching gesture of showmanship that it was the spark that lit the thunderous stadium into deafening applause and cheers. It was so loud, people covered their ears to from the noise.

Ace returned the embrace and held his hands up along with Cleaver as the two strolled around the ring to the ovation of the audience. Eventually, as they posed for the crowd, the entire locker room emptied out to stand outside the ring and alongside the ramp, applauding.

Ace knew what was next. It was time to go.

Slowly, he made his way out of the ring and towards the ramp to the applause and salutes of his peers. To him, though, he heard nothing. His mind was a blank, though it was also filled with a terrible feeling of loss. He came to the foot of the ramp and decided that he would not leave with his back turned to everyone. He spun around and walked slowly backwards up the ramp with his arms held high. The crowd's ovation had gone on for a long time, almost half an hour.

They were thanking Ace for all the memories, the moments, the risks, the blood spilled and words thrown. Allan was champion, but this was truly Ace's moment. He reached the top of the ramp and didn't stop until he vanished beneath the black curtain. Once there, he spun around and marched quickly towards the parking lot.

Ace knew he didn't have much time. Everyone in a twenty mile radius would be clamoring to him, trying to wish him well, beg him not to go. And the lawyers! He had to leave before the lawyers got to him. He didn't want it anymore. He had to leave and leave soon. Every step he took, he felt as though he were shaking off years of turmoil, personal grief, and heartache. All shedding off him the closer he got to his car. Everyone he passed, tried to say something, but he heard none of it. He was deaf to the world. Later on, he felt bad that he had even walked by the beautiful blonde haired Mira as she cried her eyes out and begged him not to leave the arena.

Finally, he reached his rental car, stepped inside and drove off just as the owner of AWF, Aaron St. Claire, rushed out to see him leave. "Ace! ACE!"

But it was too late.

As he pulled out of the parking lot, the last trace of his persona-the name of Ace Valentine-vanished. Ace Valentine was gone.

And only Jack remained.


	2. Losing Valentine

**** Chapter Two: "Losing Valentine" ****

"Everyone's looking for you." said the floaty voice on the speaker of Jack's cell phone. Jack nodded to himself with a grin. "I mean everyone, Jack. Mr. St. Claire himself came by here earlier to see if you were here."

"What'd you tell him, dad?" Jack asked.

"He asked for Ace and I told him Ace wasn't here."

"True enough." Jack and his father laughed together. "I'm not Ace anymore, am I?"

"If you say so, son. So you're really going through with it, then?"

"Yes, I am. It's what Grandpa wanted and I'm not to disappoint him." Jack said as he watched himself in the bathroom mirror, carefully working on the task at hand.

"I suspect not. It's been almost three years since he passed away, Jack. I don't think his farm'll be in very good condition."

"I've made my choice, dad, if there's one thing I have from now on it'll be time. Will you take care of everything while I'm gone?"

"Of course. I have your papers. The lawyers will take care of everything."

"And you won't tell anyone?" Jack stared closer at the mirror.

"Not if you don't want me to."

"I don't. Tell no one. Don't mention it, don't talk about it, don't even whisper it to yourself. Once I'm in the village, I won't be having any contact with the outside world so you won't be able to contact me anyway. Any slip, any mere mention could be used to find me."

"Alright, I understand. What if we do need to contact you?"

"The Inn has a phone. It's the only landline on the island, since there aren't any cell towers. I doubt you'll need to contact me, but if I need something, I'll call you, ok?"

"Alright, alright. You will come visit won't you?"

"I need the heat to die down some. Face it, Dad, for the next few years everyone and their mother is gonna be looking for me."

His father laughed. "They'll be looking for Ace Valentine, not Jack Harris."

"Some people still know my real name."

"Don't worry, son. They won't find you, I'm sure. Are you bringing anything with you?"

"Only my books, dad. I've got too much to catch up on."

"Alright. What is that noise I keep hearing?"

Jack pulled himself back away from the mirror and turned the noisy clippers off. He admired his new short cropped head of dark chestnut hair. The mane of silky hair that was once almost a signature of his was gone now. Gone, also, was the mustache and goatee. "That's the sound of Ace Valentine slowly disappearing, Dad. I'm gonna miss you a lot."

"Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too, son. Take care. I wish you the best."

"Bye." Jack hung up the phone and sighed again. Only a week after his disappearance and he was practically on the FBI's most wanted list. No one knew where he was, no one could find him, and the desire to find him was beginning to consume a few disparate souls.

He moved quickly to the front of the small abandoned apartment he had rented a month earlier. The plan he had forged had worked so far. And though it hurt his pride to know that he had purposefully lost the "retirement" match, he knew he had to do this. He had set up the entire scenario so that he could lose that match and with that done, he only had to disappear from the face of the earth for the remainder of his days.

The other half of the plan was unseen by any other. He had, through his father, purchased an old truck to carry his few possessions to the ferry that would take him to Flowerbud Island and his home for the rest of his life. And this apartment, also purchased thanks to his father, had served as his hideaway for the last week. His father had moved his extensive book collection into the apartment for him. It was the only thing he was taking with him with the exception of some new "farmer boy" clothes his father had also bought for him.

He admitted to himself that he looked like a true backwater denizen wearing blue jean overalls and a red bandanna. The straw hat his dad had bought was a little TOO much, so he settled on a blue baseball cap just to be sure.

Nothing was in the apartment as he moved out. He left the last of the rent in an envelope for the landlord and made his way to his beaten up old truck. In the back was only his boxes with his books and clothes. He had a store of cash-about $200,000 or so, but it was for emergencies only. He intended to make it by on what he could make himself.

It was a twelve hour trip to Flowerbud River, where the ferry would pick him up. He would arrive not long before it was set to take him away. On the way to the ferry, he passed by his lavish two million dollar condo at the beach. Not surprisingly, he found a few cars parked nearby with people waiting for him to show up. He wouldn't, though. He was out of his famous lifestyle once and for all.

Gone was the fame, the glory, the fortune. Gone was the TV shows, late night talk show hosts, newspaper reporters and magazine writers. Gone was the money, but he had more than enough of it to last for the rest of his life. Not that he needed it where he was going.

Gone was the three condos and the sports cars, silk shirts, Italian suits, and the expensive furnishings of his houses. It was all gone and to it, he couldn't be any more happier.

Gone, then, were the long, sleepless nights and terrible headaches. Gone was the complete physical agony that plagued professional wrestlers. His body was sore and it ached all the time now. He'd had three herniated disks, a pulled hamstring, four concussions, a broken left arm, a dislocated shoulder (twice), and his neck, doctor's told him, would one day look like a shattered cork. It was time to retire. His high-flying routine only made his health deteriorate farther. It was one of the reasons he wanted to retire like he had.

Mental anguish was another factor. His fame had surpassed him to the point where he was practically to most famous person in the world. He was constantly sought after. He'd had at least two major nervous breakdowns from doing too much too fast. His mind needed a break; needed the simplicity of life on a farm.

He hoped people would forget him, though he knew some would never do so. He intended to never return to his life and he was satisfied with the way his career had ended. The torch was passed, so to speak, to Cleaver.

He set a pair of sunglasses onto his face and sped by without looking for fear that someone would see him. For now, he was gone. Farewell, he said, to his old life. Time was now his friend and he intended to use it for everything that he could.

Hours passed like days and it felt as though it would take forever to get to the ferry, but he managed to get there and he found himself to be the only person around. The ferry sat still, waiting for it's sole passenger. The supply ferry, Jack had been told, came out once every moth for some medical and farming supplies. Once loaded, it would wait for two hours. That was more than enough time to get the things he wanted loaded onto the ferry by way of a dolly.

Once he wheeled his things onto the ferry, he returned to the truck and locked it up. His dad would be along the next day to pick the truck up and sell it or keep it or whatever he wanted to do with it. On his way back to the ferry, it seemed fate wished for him not to go alone for no sooner did he step onto the road than a sharp yelping came up and he was approached by a young puppy who ran out of the forest nearby.

Jack stopped and picked the little pup up as it came to his feet. The poor thing tried to lick him as he held it at arm's length. A quick inspection told Jack that the pup wasn't more than two months old and had barely enough skin on him. "Poor thing." He said. "Did someone abandon you? Well, you can come home with me to the old farm and run around all day, eh? Would you like that?" He hardly had to ask the pup what it thought, but the pup could tell this human was more friendly than the last one he'd met.

"Come on, pup. Let's go home." He took the pup in tow with him onto the cargo ship and set him down. He watched the loading crew of the cargo truck take supplies onto the small ferry. Within the hour he was crossing Flowerbud River and taking in the lush greenery of the isolated island off the coast of the Atlantic. The rising top of Moonlight Peak welcomed him. The last time he was up there was in his childhood...with someone really special, now that he remembered. Odd he would recall that now after so many years. Despite how hard he tried, he could not recall the name or the face of the girl he who suddenly filled his memory.

The ship pulled up to the single dock and Jack and the captain of the ferry were greeted by a broad shouldered me with a buzzcut and silly thin mustache wearing a tanktop and a sweatpants. Jack didn't pay too much attention to him. He quickly moved his things to the dock before the boat had to leave again. Soon, he would be up in the farm that he had inherited from his Grandfather. He loaded up his dolly with his boxes and, with one puppy under arm, wheeled his things right through town under the cover of darkness.

Flowerbud was a peaceful and spacious place. There weren't a terrible amount of people in Flowerbud. The sign of the village might as well have said "Flowerbud Village. Population: twenty something." Most of the village bordered the Town Square. He passed the hospital, the General Store, a Library, which he was thankful for, a small vineyard, a smithy, and a few houses before coming to the entrance to his own dusty little home.

His Grandfather had died only three years before and it was obvious that no one had been out here to fix the place up since then. The old boards were faded and what little paint there was on any building was slowly chipping away. He couldn't see the condition of the field, but it was clear that it was full of something. The grass needed cutting and fences, from what he could see, were in terrible disrepair.

He set the puppy down and took out the key to his new home. The old farmhouse was a fixer upper, alright, but Jack had nothing but time and money on his side. He wasn't even sure he would be harvesting anything at all by the end of this year, but maybe next year he could get some crops going and in the meantime try his hand at some poultry and dairy.

The inside of the farmhouse was just as modest on the inside as it was outside. There was the kitchen, the living room, the bathroom, the bedroom and not much else. To Jack's eternal surprise, there was a big screen TV in the living room. But of course. Grandpa was so proud of his grandson, the famous Ace Valentine. Jack walked slowly through the dusty house. A shelf was lined with tapes all with the words 'Jack's matches' on the side next to a corresponding date.

Jack felt his eyes grow misty as he took that in. His grandpa was so proud of him, loved him so much and Jack had only been on his farm a few times. That old man was the kindest person in the world and would have done anything for Jack and now he was gone. Jack wiped his eyes before he appeared a little too unmanly for his own liking. "I'll make it up, Grandpa. I'll put the farm back the way it was."

He set his boxes in the corner and shut the door. For the next several hours, Jack cleaned and dusted and made everything look the way it had before Grandpa had died. The things in the farmhouse were, at least, not moldy or too far-gone to be saved. The sheets and comforter of the bed had to be washed along with the new clothes that Jack would be wearing for the next...oh, rest of his life. Surprisingly, the place still had power. He figured dad must have kept the light bill paid.

Jack had the TV plugged in and turned it on after he dusted it off. It kicked on and worked just as well as it had before. To Jack's surprise, he turned it on and immediately got Channel 147, the station that AWF was broadcast from on Monday Nights. That was a shock because Flowerbud wasn't supposed to have any cable TV at all. How could his grandpa pick up this station? He noticed the cable running from the back of the TV and outside the house.

Jack went outside and found the cable running out towards the barn. Inside, he found the answer: a small satellite dish carefully hidden behind a bale of hay near the roof. "Crafty old guy," Jack said to himself. He turned around and was surprised to see a shady figure slipping into the house through the front door. "What the...?"

Jack rushed forward, anticipating the worst. Someone had followed him and was trying to confront him. Well, it wouldn't happen. If they wanted a fight, they were in for one. Jack reached the door and forced it open with a well placed kick. The door swung open and Jack rushed inside to find...

A scared teenager girl throwing herself behind the couch the instant he broke through the door. She let out a high pitch scream as Jack halted his charge. "There'd better be a good reason you just waltzed in here!" He demanded in his best wrestling promo voice, a deep voice that carried itself like a three hundred pound pitbull. The teenage girl poked her head up, her hands held up in surrender. "I-I-I-I'm Sorry!" She squealed. "I didn't know anyone was in here!"

Jack looked down at her. She was thin, with a very angular face and with very dark blue eyes. She had shoulder length brown hair and blonde bangs. She wore some plain blue jeans and a purple vest of sorts. She looked scared and she had every reason to be; Jack was a very intimidating person.

"Just because no one's in here doesn't mean you can just come in and make yourself at home." Jack said, his voice lowered. "This house belonged to my grandfather."

The girl's eyes went wide. "You-you're...You're Mr. Jack's grandson?" She asked.

"That's right. And he left me the farm when he passed away. I'm here to take care of the farm now." Jack sighed and turned around to face his door. Thankfully, he hadn't broken it. He closed it carefully. "But you still haven't answered my question: who are you and why are you in here?"

"I'm sorry, Mr..."

"Jack."

"Jack. Just like you're grandfather, huh?"

Jack nodded, no longer angry, but still peeved. "That's right. Answer my question, please."

She composed herself and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm Karen, daughter of Jeff, the owner of the General Store. I'm in here because your grandfather asked me to make sure his things were left the way they were when he was alive until you came to take over the farm. That's what he told me the night before he passed away."

Jack felt doubtful until he happened to looked over at a picture on his wall. A picture of Karen and his grandfather in front of the farmhouse. The two looked happy. "You knew my grandfather that well?" He asked.

"He...well, let's just say I don't like my house very much. Mr. Jack was like a grandfather to me, so I spent a lot of time over here. Mr. Jack was very nice. He didn't mind if I came in and it didn't matter what time or if I made myself at home cause in a lot of ways this was more my home than my real home. It was like he...adopted me." Jack heard a twinge of emotion in her voice, and for good reason. It sounded like Karen considered herself Old Jack's granddaughter. Still, this was his home now and new boundaries had to be set.

"I'm sorry, Karen, but I'm not my grandfather. I don't know you very well, even if my grandfather did, and let's just say I don't trust people I don't know-especially women."

At that, Karen put her hands on her hips and huffed. "Well, I don't know what kind of manners those are! Honestly, what's wrong with trusting women?"

Jack grinned and held his hand out, counting on his fingers. "Oh, nothing much, just the fact that of the seven girlfriends I've had I caught one and two cheating on me in my own bed; three and four left me with only a good- bye letter left at home; number five tried to stab me with a fork when I told her I didn't want to get married; number six pressed some bogus rape charges against me; and then I came home one day when I wasn't expected at home and caught number seven with a moving van trying to steal every blessed thing I owned."

Karen was shocked into silence. Jack grinned. "Sorry, hon, I don't trust women. But I might be inclined to change my mind so long as you don't walk in like you own the place."

Karen sighed and nodded. "Right. I understand. Sorry for barging in like that." She headed for the door and exited it. "Will we see you around town often?"

"It's likely. And I'm sorry I charged in here like that. Sometimes I get a excited, right? It's been a while since I didn't have to always escalate confrontations to a ten." Karen nodded and waved good-bye as she left the farm. Jack shook his head and shut the door behind him. "Looks like I've made a new friend." He said, sarcastically.

Nothing else extra ordinary happened for the rest of the evening. Jack made himself a grand supper of steak, cornbread, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Since he planned to never return to the ring, he felt he deserved to let himself go at least a little bit. No more grueling hours at the gym, no more disgusting protein shakes and carbohydrate balanced meals of crap he didn't like. To top it off, he drank his first Coca-Cola in almost six years. Dadgumit, he deserved it, didn't he?"

Supper was followed by a relaxing time in his armchair with a lamp. Jack's only possessions were his novels-mostly literature that he hadn't read in a long time. Jack loved to read books and tonight he planned to curl up with his favorite from his teens: "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."

As he settled into his book, he was lost in the world of Middle-Earth, just like he would be lost with any other world of any other book he read-It was the only thing he truly missed when he was running at 200% as a celebrity. Now with all the time in the world, he planned on catching up with his favorites. The puppy ran around and examined his new surroundings as Jack read.

When the pup came and jumped into his lap, starving for attention, Jack smiled and pet the young brown pup. "Well, if you're going to be staying here with me, I suppose I outta give you a name, shouldn't I?"

The pup barked it's agreement. Jack turned his gaze down to the Rings book. "Let's see, how do you feel about being Frodo, eh?"

The pup barked again, wagging his tail happily.

Jack laughed. "Very well. Welcome to the Old Time Farm, Mr. Frodo Baggins. Sleep well, for tomorrow we have work ahead of us."

For the first time in a long time, Jack slept peacefully.


	3. Going to Town

"HARVEST MOON: THE VALENTINE CONSPIRACY"

A Harvest Moon fic by: The Rune Reverend

Chapter 3 – Going to Town

Morning came quickly for Jack. He woke at six am sharp and was up fixing a good breakfast. He didn't know what to do next, but he had planned on giving the farm the once over and then deciding on a course of action. As he fixed his breakfast, he noticed that Frodo had used the bathroom on the floor. Poor pup wasn't housebroken, but that didn't matter. From here on out Frodo was staying outdoors.

"Bad Frodo. No Precious for you." He said. Frodo yipped, not understanding. After breakfast, he switched it onto the weather channel. "The forecast for tomorrow is bright and sunny!" The weather woman said cheerfully. "Well, that's good to know." Jack said to himself. "No one wants to work in the rain."

He finished off a healthy breakfast, the kind that had kept him going for years: sliced apples in plain oatmeal with blueberries and a few sprinkles of cinnamon. He got into his overalls and a work shirt. He placed the cap on his head and was just about to take a look around when he heard a knock at his door. He went to answer it.

At the door was a short, funny looking man wearing a strange red suit and red top hat. He had a big brown mustache and round, pinkish nose. He saw how tall Jack was and looked surprised. "Hello? Who might you be?" The stranger asked.

"I'm Jack. I'm elder Jack's grandson." He said.

"Oh, then Karen was telling the truth. Well, I'm Mayor Thomas. Nice to meet you, Jack." He held out his hand and Jack shook it. Jack stepped outside, letting Frodo run out and go crazy. "Well, what brings you over to the Old Time Farm today, Mayor Thomas?"

"Well, I when I heard from Karen that Jack's grandson had taken over the Valentine Farm, but-."

"Wait." Jack halted him with a wave of his hand. "What did you say?"

"About what?"

"The farm. What did you call the farm?"

Mayor Thomas looked confused. "Oh, sorry, your grandfather called his farm the Valentine Farm. Sorry, Jack." Jack looked somewhat disdained. He had thought about what he was going to call the farm and the Valentine Farm had actually been his first choice, but he decided against it. If someone were to come through here by a freak chance and hear the name, they might get crazy ideas. Jack didn't want anything that could be connected to his past life as Ace Valentine. The Old Time Farm was the name he had chosen, but leave it to Grandpa to give his farm that name.

"Sorry, Mayor, I was just being a little paranoid. I decided to call it the Old Time Farm, so you can go ahead and get used to it."

The Mayor nodded. "Right. Anyway, I heard we got you down here and I decided to pay a visit to our newest member in town." Mayor Thomas smiled. Jack narrowed his eyes slightly. There was no way somebody was as nice as this guy was being. Jack shook his head. Maybe he was just being a little paranoid. He had spent so long being so cautious of people trying to stab him in the back, he had lost that knack of telling who was genuine and who was not. He decided that the Mayor was being honestly kind. "Well, that's nice."

"Would you like a tour of the town?" The Mayor asked.

"No, thanks." Jack said. "I'm sure I can find my way around well enough."

The mayor looked a little down. "Oh, well, then I guess I'll see you around, then. Just so you know, that farm over there is the Poultry Farm and on the other side of that is the Ranch. My son is the police officer of Flowerbud and he might drop by sometimes just so you know. Other than that, welcome to Flowerbud." The Mayor shook Jack's hand and walked back towards the village, whistling to himself. Jack couldn't help but grin. What a funny little man.

With Frodo busy running around, Jack began to look around the fields of the farm. They had been neglected for so long and whatever order they had when elder Jack was still alive was gone now. There was one main field for harvesting. The field was all knee high in weeds and useless greens. A few acres that had once been forestry were flattened as trees had been toppled from last year's hurricane. Big boulders and rocks stood out on the field. He made his way down the edge of the field and passed what he suspected to be a special tree next to his house.

At the northeastern corner closest to the house, he found a large brown box. He opened it and found it cooled inside: a large cooler to keep his cold drinks in, no doubt.

He walked back down the field and found a small fish pond when he could put fish in...obviously. Next to that was his chicken shed. To his dismay, no chickens. The chicken shed was connected to the watermill where his corn grinder was located. The watermill was the only thing working. It was about a ten minute walk from his house to the end of his property at the creek where he could see himself fishing away the afternoons.

He followed the creek another ten or fifteen minutes until he arrived at the fenced border to his property and the farm next door. In the field opposite his he saw a feminine form in a bright red-and-white dress wading amidst a flock of chickens. Jack scratched his chin a moment and smiled. Another lovely lady who lived next door to him, it seemed. From right here, he could see that she had long flowing pink hair. Now he had seen strange things before in the wrestling business, so he didn't think pink hair was anything especially strange. He turned away and started walking the line of his fields back toward his home. After another ten or fifteen minutes he reached his hot house, which was so torn down that he knew he was going to have to build another one from scratch.

The only other things of note were his stable house big enough for a single horse and his barn big enough for quite a few sheep and cows, should he plan to buy some, which he probably would.

First thing was first, though. He had to clean up this farm before he was going to plant anything and he was going to do it himself. He quickly found the supply shed, but found the tools inside were rusted and useless. Time to go to town, it seemed. He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. "Frodo!" He saw the pup prancing happily in the fields, chasing butterflies and lizards. There was no way he was going to be able to make the pup follow him. He'd have to train him to be obedient.

"Alright, I'm leaving. You'd better be here when I come back." Jack went back into the house and fetched a manila folder. He headed for the village, which lie several hundred feet down a long path from his farm. It was nice to know that he could simply walk down to town when he needed something. He didn't know what kind of stores there were, but he had something else to do today besides walk around his farm of weeds and useless growth.

He came to the first house fifteen minutes down the path and startled a poor young man wearing a gray long-sleeve shirt and rough worn pants. He had a cap on his head of orange hair and he looked for all intents and purposes like he was lost. He saw Jack's brown work boots as he was staring at the ground while walking and jumped, looking up at him. "Wh...Who?"

"Jack. Young Jack, that is. The other Jack was my grandfather. He left me with the farm, so I guess that makes us new neighbors."

The young man shook his head. "I...didn't know he even had a grandson. I'm, er, Gray. Gray Spalding. I'm the smithy's apprentice." He pointed to the building the their side. "Are we going to see you around the village?"

"Probably. Where do I go to buy farming equipment?"

"Like what kind of equipment?"

Jack shrugged. "I dunno. I've never run a farm before."

Gray chuckled. "You might want to talk to Doug. He owns the Redwood Inn, but he used to run a farm up in the mountains before he built the Inn. He'd know better than anyone."

"Thanks, Gray. See ya around." Jack marched off. Gray walked into the Smithy. So now he had something else to do that day besides his initial meeting with the village doctor. He walked past the rest of the village until he reached the "hospital". It wasn't much more than a two-story clinic, but there was the sign in front that read: "HOSPITAL"

"I wonder if this is the hospital?" He asked himself. Just to make sure, he read the sign again. It read: "HOSPITAL".

"This must be the hospital." He joked as he went inside. He knew there wouldn't be much to this village, but he was surprised to find that there was one doctor and one nurse and not another soul inside. Still, he gave credit to the two of them. The clinic was hospital clean and it maintained a very professional atmosphere. The young woman behind the counter looked to be about his age-in her early twenties. She wore an old style dress that came all the way down to her ankles. Her hair was brown, short to her ears, and she had brown eyes the same color of her hair.

She had her back to him when he walked in and she didn't seem to pay much attention to his arrival. "What is it now, Andy? You know mom doesn't want you wandering off like that."

"Aww, I just wanted a sucker, that's all." Jack laughed when his deep voice make the poor young woman jump in her boots. She sighed and held her hand over her heart. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." She scolded.

"You heard me coming a mile away. Next time, look to see who walks in the door." He handed her the manila folder. "I'm Jack Harris. I'm here to see the doctor."

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked.

"Do you have an opening?"

"Yes."

"Then I'd like to make an appointment for two minutes from now. I have to use your restroom." She pointed him towards the restroom and swallowed. In a hundred years, she had not expected someone she didn't know to walk in. She went to the doctor, who was busy studying a medicinal book.

"Doctor, we have a patient." She said.

"Gotz break his arm again?" He asked, his manner humorless.

"No, Doctor. He's a new patient."

"New?" He accepted the folder from the nurse and opened it. A moment later, Jack came out and walked over towards them. It wasn't hard to find them; the clinic only had some curtains to separate the three beds inside it.

"Hey, Doc. Jack Harris." He said, holding his hand out for the Doctor to shake. "You'll probably get to know me pretty well." He said without thinking. The Doctor stared at him. "Why is that?"

Jack had to pause. He had a lot of injuries when he was a pro wrestler. It came with the job. Jack told that to every new doctor he went to, but he hadn't meant to tell it to this one. "Er, Well I'm a huge klutz. I'll have a broken neck by the end of the week."

The Doctor stared at him with an impassive face. "That was a joke."

"Yeah, that's the way I spit it out."

"Amusing." Doc said, obviously not amused. "May I ask why you're here?"

"Truthfully? I wanted to have a quick check up so you could have my medical file in your records." He tapped the manila folder, his medical records. "Just in case, right?"

"An excellent precaution. Elli, take him to bed one and have him ready for a check up." Jack followed the young woman to a bed and asked him to get down to his skivvies. Jack undressed without shame. He was used to getting dressed and undressed in front of people. It was just the way it was. Besides, every week for over six years he'd worn skin tight spandex, that was pretty close to being in your underwear. When he took off his overalls, he then slid his shirt off, leaving himself in his boxers. He heard Elli suck in a sharp gasp. Whipping around, he caught her staring at his body, but not with a look of admiration or a seductive stare like he was used to. She looked shocked-almost horrified. He looked down.

Oh. He'd forgotten about the scars. His back and chest as well as both his arms were zig-zagged with lines of pink and faded scars. It was a reminder as well as a badge of honor. Before hitting it big in AWF, he'd traveled the world perfecting his wrestling craft-Mexico, Japan, Europe, Asia, South America. But in places like Japan and Europe, people didn't care to much for the regular wrestling so they liked to add absurd and violent stipulations to matches. If you want to make big money overseas, you had to take big risks. Most of the scars came from a series of violent barb wire matches with another old rival of his named Julius Kaiser. The dark skinned Mexican was a fellow rookie with a pension for being violent that defied his lanky, muscle-less frame. He'd toured with Julius several times, but only in spring, fall, and winter. He always seemed to disappear during summertime.

On those tours, Jack had never gotten proper medical attention to many of the scars so a lot of them stayed bright pink; they had a tendency to go bright red when he got angry. He hadn't realized how it affected someone who had never seen them before. Elli stood with her eyes fixed on his body, her face a mixture of curiosity and horror, but ever the professional she took his vital signs and recorded them on the chart. Once her initial shock over the scars faded, it wasn't lost on Elli the incredible physique that Jack had. Corded, ripped muscles, a six-pack, muscles in places most people didn't have muscles.

The Doctor chose that moment to arrive. He closed the curtain behind him, his eyes glued on Jack's chart. "Alright, Mr. Harris. I've reviewed your records and I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

"Shoot, Doc."

"These injuries. How did you get them?"

"Like I said: I'm a klutz."

"That's not what your medical records indicate. Three concussions, two herniated disks, a broken arm, torn hamstring, torn rotator cuff, degenerating wrist bones, all those lacerations and such. These are injuries that are related to an athlete. Mr. Harris, what did you do to get these injuries?"

Jack bit hit lip. He didn't want to inform that doc of his former lifestyle. Something like that would get around in a tiny town like this. So he chose the most discreet way: he lied. "Well, I played a lot of different sports, but I never found one to make a career in. I quit a sport for every bad injury I had, so that's how that is."

"Uh-huh." The Doc muttered, not really interested. He looked through the chart some more before finally setting it down and giving Jack a check up. It went on for an hour and occasionally the Doc would ask a question. Elli assisted him as best she could, mostly watching Jack and eyeing his scars. Klutz, indeed. She was no fool, but whatever he wanted to hide, she thought it best to leave him be.

They finished the check-up with no complications. The Doc did determine that Jack was still suffering effects of fatigue and stress and ordered him to rest up a bit. "Trust me, Doc, resting is something I plan on doing plenty of.

"See that you do, Jack. It was nice to meet you. We hope to see you around soon."

"You will." Jack left the Hospital and decided that the next best place to go was the Redwood Inn. Of course, he had no idea where that was. He took the path down past the church and hung a right, heading for an area that seemed fenced in by trees except for the brick path that led into it. He emerged from the path and discovered the Town Square. Large, open, and with nothing in sight. The only people in sight was a small gaggle of housewives chatting excitedly to each other. He approached them and the trio of ladies stopped, staring at the stranger.

"Morning ladies." He said. The three muttered a greeting to him, but otherwise remained silent. Jack continued, "Perhaps you could tell me where I could find the Redwood Inn?"

"Down that path." One of the woman said shyly. "Do you mind if I ask who you are, young man?"

"Jack Harris. Elder Jack was my grandfather and I'm taking over his farm. Be seein' ya." He walked off, leaving the three of them in relative silence. As he approached one of the four paths to the town square, he noticed a bulletin board. On it was a sheet of paper among several sheets of paper that listed all the holidays, festivals, and special days on the Flowerbud calendar. He took the sheet of paper and folded it into his pocket. Best to know what was going on in town before he just barged in. He smiled when he stepped out of sight and heard the women renew their conversation with a higher pitch. It was nice to know that even when he wasn't famous, he could still stir people up.

The path through the woods led to the Redwood Inn, sprawling two stories tall and very cozy looking. He stepped into the place and found it empty. The Lounge inside the Redwood Inn was big enough to hold the entire village and then some. The upstairs had rooms for rent for travelers and things like that. No one was in sight. "Hello?"

No answer. No small bell to ring, either.

"HELLO?" He bellowed. This time, somebody did come in the form of a teenage girl wearing overalls and dull red hair pulled back into a long braided ponytail. She made her way from a door just behind the counter. When she saw him, she stopped. "Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Doug." Jack said.

She turned around and yelled into the door. "Dad! Some buff guy is here to see you." A yell came back in response. The girl turned back to him. "You passing through?"

"If running my grandfather's farm until I'm put in the dirt is passing by, then I guess so."

"Oh. You must be the new Jack."

"No, I've been Jack my entire life."

"I'm Ann, Doug's daughter. He runs the Inn. Do me a favor and tell my dad you're married."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Why should I do that?"

"Because if he finds out you're single, he's going to try and marry me off to you every chance he gets and I don't think either one of us needs that hassle." She sighed and opened the door again. "DAD! I SAID SOMEONE'S HERE TO SEE YOU!"

"I'M COMING!" A loud, gruff voice yelled back. Ann groaned out loud. "That man is so hard to get up out of bed in the morning. I swear, I don't know how Mom ever put up with it before she died."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened to your mom?" Jack asked. "Was she nice?"

"My mom was a drunk. She used to whip me with an extension cord." An awkward silence passed between the two of them in which Jack wasn't really sure how to respond to that. "Er...What happened?"

"Oh! She got plastered one night and she must have thought she could breath underwater because we found her the next day dead in the hot spring."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We're not." The door behind her opened and Doug stepped out dressed for work. He looked like a bartender. He spied Jack and nodded. "Howdy, stranger." Ann leaped over the counter and headed for the door. "Bye Dad. I'd love to stay for this, but I've got other things to do. See ya, Jack." And Ann was gone before her dad could say anything.

"She always leaves when we have company. Well, what can I do for you?"

"I'm Jack Harris, I run the Old Time Farm where the Valentine Farm used to be. A fella named Gray said I could get an idea of some supplies to get my farm started, seeing as how I don't know what to do."

"Oh." Doug nodded. "Well, that shouldn't be much of a problem. Have you got some time? I'll pour us some apple ciders and I can make you a list."

"Sounds fine by me." Jack said, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "But let me ask you something first: is everyone in this town for real?"

Doug blinked. "I'm not sure I follow you."

"The happy faces, the smiles, the happy-go-lucky attitudes. I don't think I've ever seen so many content people in my life. Of course, I did spend a long time around backstabbing jerks who hate life."

"I'll make it the strong cider." Doug suggested. Jack grinned. "Sounds good to me."

Meanwhile,

A thousand miles away, inside the AWF headquarters, the CEO and founder of the wrestling league, Aaron St. Claire was sitting in his chair behind his desk. He was frantically searching around through papers when his secretary buzzed him. "Sir,. Mr. Black is here to see you."

"Send him in." The door to his office opened and a man in a dark black suit and red tie stepped in. He had slicked-back black hair and a very dour disposition-he looked as though he'd never smiled a day in his life. He came in and sat in the chair across from Mr. St. Claire. Aaron looked up at "Mr. Black."

"Jim Black?"

"Yes." The man replied.

"The private investigator?"

"Yes."

"I've got a job for you." He handed Jim Black a manila folder. "Do you know Ace Valentine?"

"It's kind of hard to avoid him." Jim said, his eyes scanning through the folder. "What about him?"

"Did you see what happened on Sunday?"

"I don't watch wrestling."

"He lost a match with the stipulation that he leave the federation. I was going to call him and have the stipulation revoked and ask him back, but there's a problem."

"Mr. Valentine has disappeared, hasn't he?"

Mr. St. Claire threw his hands in the air. "I've looked everywhere for him! At first I thought he went to a rival company, but they haven't heard from him. He's disappeared off the face of the earth." He leaned forward. "I want you to find Ace. Track him down and find him in anyway you can and tell me where he is."

Mr. Black looked back at him. "I hope someone told you about my fee. This could take a long time and it will require a lot of money."

"They tell me you're the best, Mr. Black. Can I trust that my money won't go wasted?"

"I always get the job done, Mr. St Claire. I just hope you find it worth your money to know where he is."

"Money is no object." Aaron St. Claire growled. "But I want Ace Valentine found!"

"Consider him found, then." Mr. Black said, sealing the deal with a handshake.


	4. Apple Cider & Popuri

CHAPTER FOUR: "APPLE CIDER & POPURI"

Word spreads quickly in Flowerbud. This was in no small part thanks to the three ladies that Jack had met in the Town Square in the morning. Before everyone had a chance to finish lunch, there wasn't a soul in Flowerbud who didn't know that Jack now ran the Old Time Farm. Once he was done at the Redwood Inn, he made his way through town and loaded up on all the tools he'd need to get the farm back on the right foot. A hoe, pickaxe, axe, watering can. If he needed anything else he'd come back; it wasn't a far walk into town.

His trip to the General Store was a less than stellar meeting as he headed inside just in time to see the store owner being ripped off. He walked in and there stood a tall, well-dressed man in a white shirt and purple vest. He was clean-shaven and had a head of short black hair shot through with an occasional white stripe at the temple.

"I've got to get some things for the wife, Jeff" He heard the man say in a deep, loud voice. The young man behind the counter wore white button down shirt and a black bowtie. He had black hair, gelled down to his head and a tiny mustache. The man nodded. "Of course, Duke."

Duke stuffed a few things into the grocery bag and headed right for the door. "Put it on my tab."

Jeff cast a downward glance. "Oh. Alright."

Duke walked past Jack without a second glance. Jack scoffed. What a bum. The door opened and Karen walked in. "Dad, you didn't just take Duke's credit, did you?"

"Well-."

"Never mind. I'll get the money myself." She turned and saw Jack standing near the door. Karen walked over. "You saw that?"

"Yeah, I saw it. Who was that?"

Karen's face held the look of someone who's eaten a burned cookie. "That was Duke, the owner of the Flowerbud Vineyard. He's great at making wine, but when it comes to people, his skills leave something to be desired. When he throws his weight around, he tends to get what he wants."

"What exactly are you going to do to get the money from him?" Jack asked.

Karen lifted an eyebrow and walked past him, out of the store and out of her father's earshot. Once outside, she said, "I don't know. I might just give dad my money and then make Duke pay me back."

"Please tell me you haven't done this before." Jack asked.

"Several times." Karen sighed and began heading for Duke's house. "My dad is the world's biggest pushover, so I'm used to it." They walked in silence for another minute. The spring air was crisp and smelled of honey and pollen.

Jack turned to Karen and smiled, "Tell you what: I'll foot the bill and let Duke pay me back."

Karen inclined her head towards him. "You'd really do that? His tab is over two thousand dollars."

"Well, look at it this way: I'm less of a pushover. Come by the farm tonight and I'll have the cash ready." He walked clear past her and he to stop. She stood stock still with a shocked expression on her face. "Who _are_ you, Jack? What kind of person does this kind of thing?"

"Just me, Karen. Just me. See ya tonight." Jack made his way back to the General Store to gather himself a great deal of groceries. Lunch came and went; Jack heartily ate some sandwiches and a salad. After lunch, he looked to the field and decided to get started.

First thing was first: clearing the weeds. Using his new scythe, he cleared them down one by one. The afternoon wore on. He was glad to have his cap on because the sun was overbearing at times. Luckily, he had a ready supply of cold drinks nearby.

Five in the afternoon rolled around and he found that he had cleared out only a fifth of his fields. He wasn't exhausted, by any stretch of the imagination, but it took its toll on him. He looked up in time to see the pilot of the ferry walking into his farm and straight to his cooler. He opened it up and looked inside. "What the...?"

"Need some help!" Jack shouted across his field.

"You selling these?" The man shouted back.

"What?" Jack cried.

"I SAID, ARE YOU SELLING THESE?"

"WHY? YOU WANNA BUY THEM?"

"WHY ARE WE SHOUTING AT EACH OTHER? I CAN HARDLY HEAR YOU!"

"WHAT? HOLD ON! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Jack ran across the small section of field and caught up with him. "Sorry about that. What did you say?"

"I asked if you're selling these." He pointed to the cooler, which held about two cases worth of Gatorade and Cokes. Jack looked at them. "Not unless you really want them."

"You don't have anything to sell?" He asked.

"Why?"

"I'm Zack. I buy all the products that Flowerbud has to sell. I figured since you were running the farm now, you might have something you wanted to sell. That's what this is for."

"That?" Jack looked at his cooler. "I thought that was for drinks."

Zack gave a bellowing laugh. "No, this is for your produce. If you have anything you want to sell me, like something you grow in your fields, you just throw it in here and I come check it everyday at about five-except for holidays. I'll just drop the cash off in the slot on your door if you're not here."

"Sounds good. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Sure."

A thought struck Jack just then. He said, "Hey, Zack. What do you guys do for fun here?" Zack nodded as he mulled the question in his mind. "Well, usually the festivals are the best fun we have."

Jack pulled the calendar out for the spring that he'd yanked off the billboard in the Twon Square that morning. He looked at the marked days. "Jeez, there's almost twenty festivals here! What the heck is a 'Harvest Festival'?"

"Oh, that's the first Festival after the new year. You just missed the New Years Day Festival. Man, we got a Festival for everything here. Any excuse for the town to get together and have a blast! The Harvest Festival is where we all get together and have a dance in the Square. Festivals are always in the Square. Anyway, the girls all get dressed to pay homage to the Goddess for a plentiful harvest."

"What about at night? Don't tell me everyone just goes to bed."

Zack shrugged. "Some people. The guys usually go down to the Inn and have a few drinks. You know, unwind after a hard day's work."

Jack smiled, "Sounds good to me. Thanks, Zack."

"No problem, buddy." Zack headed back for town. Jack gave him a troubling stare. Another cheerful person? What was with this town? Was _everyone_ all chipper and upbeat? Shaking his head, he decided to turn in for the day. He threw his farming utensil into the toolbox next to the barn and went inside. He'd go down to the Inn to see what he could see. Bars were never his favorite hangout. For some reason, when he went to a bar, he always got in a fight with someone he didn't want to fight.

As he showered, letting the hard day's work rinse off him with the grime and sweat, he began thinking about these villagers. He had never thought much of people who were friendly and kind all of the time; he figured they must be disingenuous or something. He figured _nobody_ had a reason to be happy without due reason. Yet here he was passing kind person after kind person. This village couldn't be so perfect that no one got into fights or got mad at each other. Could it?

He threw on clean overalls and a shirt and headed down for the Inn. Night was already falling and by the time he arrived the street lights were lighting his way. He glanced in the window as he passed and noted almost half the village present. All of the men. The only female present was Ann, who was slinging drinks at the bar and grabbing the occasional plate of food. Greg would occasionally emerge from the smoky kitchen with a plate and set i on the counter for her to pick up.

He reached the door and went to push on it. He could hear the loud clamor of the bar inside and came to a stop when he heard his name. He paused and pushed the door open just a little bit so he could listen.

"What was that?" He heard a thin, nasal voice asked.

"I said 'Jack'." He heard the voice of Doug. "His name is Jack. Just like his grandfather. He's running the Valentine Farm now."

"I heard he calls it the Old Time Farm, but I tell you that will never be anything but the Valentine Farm to me." Said someone else, whom he didn't' recognize.

"So why have we never heard of him before?" Another voice asked. "How do we even know this guy really _is_ Jack's grandson? I mean, we hardly ever saw Jack's own kids, let alone his grandkids."

"I don't think someone would really go to the trouble of impersonating Jack just for his farm." Greg said, "Besides, he's got a good heart. I talked to him today and he asked for a list of things he needs to start a farm."

"What he's got is money." Jack heard Duke say. "I heard from Jeff's wife that he bought everything you put on that list of his and nearly half the grocery store. Came to about three thousand and he had it all on him. Now who do you know does that?"

"You!" A half-dozen voices nearly cried. The bar dissolved into loud voices and laughter. Jack pushed his way in and like a bad western movie, all the activity in the Inn came to a halt as every patron turned to see who had walked in the door. There was a moment of silence before Doug said, "Jack! Come in, come in!"

"Think I'll do that." Jack said, marching up to a table. He now saw just who was in the Inn now that he was able to get a better look. Some he recognized: Duke, Gray, the Mayor's son, whom he had seen walking his rounds during the day. A few others he couldn't identify. Most sat at a table with one or two others; a few sat at a table by themselves. Jack too a table near Gray and sat in it, the propped his feet up on another chair.

"What's good around here?" He asked.

"Ann's Apple Cider." Doug said, "I'll fix you one. On the house."

"Apple cider?" Jack asked, dubious. "Is that all?"

"Obviously, you've never tried Ann's Apple Cider." Duke said. "Only thing better than my wine, son. In fact, give the whole house a round, Greg." Duke got up from his seat and moved around to sit across from Jack at his own table. Doug set their Apple Ciders in front of them and then to the rest of the patrons. "So your Jack's grandson, I hear?"

"That's right. Names Jack. Isn't that convenient?"

"Uh-huh. So tell us, Jack, what're you doing here in Flowerbud?"

"Living my life." Duke and the others sat in silence, waiting, Jack shrugged. "And that's it."

"You came here just to live your life?"

"Hey, Grandpa died and I hardly knew the guy. He left me the farm in his will so I figured I'd do him right and take care of it like he wanted."

"He died three years ago." Duke said, scratching his head, "I think so. Why'd you wait so long to move in?"

Jack was silent for a moment. "I had a job. I had a lot of loose ends to tie up. I had some monkies I had to get off my back first. I couldn't just do it overnight, I needed a little time."

Duke raised an eyebrow. "Three years?"

"Okay, so I needed a lot of time. But now I'm here and I don't plan on leaving. So get used to me. I'm going to be here for the rest of my life."

"Do tell." Duke stood up and raised his glass. "Well, who am I to look down on a man. A toast! To old Jack! May he rest well knowing his grandson is taking care of his farm."

"To Jack!" Everyone raised their glasses and took a swig of their Cider. Jack took one swig and erupted into a fit of coughing, spitting out a mouthful of cider. The Inn itself also erupted, but into a gales of laughter. Duke came over and smacked Jack on the back. "Don't worry, kid. You'll get used to it."

Jack was so busy coughing, he didn't even hear Duke.

Kevin Harris was busy eating dinner with his wife, Chloe, when a sharp knock came to the door. He and his wife looked at each other. They weren't expecting company. Kevin got up and walked to the door and peered through the eyehole. A tall man in a suit and a dark brown duster stood on his porch. He opened the door, but left the chain hooked to it. "Mr. Harris?"

"Yes. Can I help you?"

"Possibly. My name is Jim Black and I'm with the IRS." He held up a badge. Derek unlocked the door and opened it fully. "What's this about?"

"It's about your son, Mr. Harris. I'm afraid he's in some trouble concerning his taxes and we're unable to find him."

"His taxes? Goodness, that's not a good thing." He said. "Well, I hope you can find him."

"You don't know where he is?"

Kevin smiled. "Listen, I know you guys think you're pretty smart, but the truth is that Jack didn't get his brains from box of cereal, he got them from me." Kevin put his hands on his hips and straightened his back, looking as tall as he could.

Jim Black narrowed his eyes. "Mr. Harris, we're not trying to get you in trouble, but if going down to the police station is what it takes to-."

"Nice try, fella, but you're not fooling anyone. Jack's gone. Gone. That's all you need to know. I might know where he is. I might not. But either way, you won't find out. And I know for a fact there's nothing wrong with his taxes, he's paid them up in full and there's nothing left that he owes to the government, so that tells me one thing: you're a fraud. You're another private investigator trying to find Jack." He jabbed his finger into Jim's chest. "So don't go throwing empty threats at me, pal. I'm a Marine and if you go looking for trouble, I'll hand you your sorry ass on a silver platter. Now get off my property before I have you arrested for trespassing. I'm sure impersonating a government worker will look _real_ good on your resume."

James Black merely inclined his head and turned and left. He heard the door slam behind him. Well, that went spectacularly bad. It was becoming more and more apparent that Mr. Ace Valentine had covered his tracks very, very well. The IRS bit was a good lure that usually worked, but not this time. His badge and ID were convincing enough to pass a casual inspection, but cop trouble was something he didn't need.

James was beginning to wonder what it was going to take to find Jack Harris. He had vanished off the face of the planet and there was no way he was going to give up; not for the kind of money Mr. St. Claire was giving him. And upon finding Jack, St. Claire had promised a big reward. So he intended to find Jack Harris.

But, perhaps he wouldn't find him TOO quickly.

The week breezed by for Jack. He wasn't able to sell anything, but Zack religiously came every day at five like he promised. Jack spent most of his days toiling in the fields. The strain was hard. Jack was used to spending four or five hours in a gym and the busting his butt in the ring, but farm work was different. He cleared the field of weeds and made a pile of it where he also took the small logs and branches littering the field.

The stumps proved more of a challenge. He was stuck on one for almost a half day before he decided he needed a new tactic. The boulders...well, he wasn't exactly sure HOW they got there but there they were.

On Friday, he got a little bit of information that he wanted to know.

"Chickens?" Zack asked.

"Chickens. Where can I get one?" Jack asked.

Zack pointed his finger to the farm next door. "Ask Rick. He runs the Poultry Farm."

"About time I met my neighbors anyway." Jack told himself as he walked down the pathway to the Poultry Farm. He arrived as the quaint farm and was admiring the house, the barn, the chicken yard, and the whole yard in general when a loud yell caught his attention. "I HATE YOU!" Someone screamed.

He paused at the entrance to the farm and watched as the girl with pink hair dashed past down the path in the opposite direction from him. He heard loud sobbing as she left. Jack entered the farm, occasionally glancing in the direction she had run. He caught up with a young fellow about his own age wearing a green shirt and a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. He had short, dirty blond hair and a concerned look on his face. He spied Jack and sighed, "You saw that, didn't you?"

"Kind of hard to miss." Jack said.

"That was Popuri, my sister. She got emotional on me because a stray dog killed one of her chickens. But she shouldn't have left it loose last night." Rick said, waving his finger like a small sword.

"I'll see if I can keep an eye out for any stray dogs. Look, I'm here for a chicken."

"Oh." Rick said, "You must be the new Jack. Popuri told me about. I haven't met you yet. I'm Rick. Popuri and I run the Poultry Farm."

"Just you two?" Jack asked.

"Well," Rick cast his eyes down. "Our mom and dad used to run it, but...mom got sick. And dad's gone all year long looking for treatment for her."

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"We don't know. Mom refuses to leave and find medical attention because she's afraid of the Thorn Curse."

"Thorn Curse?"

"Thorn is our last name. The Curse is all too real, though. Anyone from our family who's ever left the village has died of mysterious reasons. She said it's because we Thorns were never meant to leave Mineral Town."

"Mineral Town?"

"Yeah, that what we used to call the village until your grandfather died. When that happened, people started getting this thing with flowers. The women planted them under the windows, down the streets, in the square. When Old Jack died...Mineral Town died with him. We decided to call the town Flowerbud and here we are."

"Oh." Was all Jack could say. "What about your sister? Is she gonna be alright?"

"I guess so. She's probably at the hot spring behind your property, crying. She gets real emotional sometimes. But where are my manners. I'll go get your chicken."

"Do you have any young ones?" Jack asked, following Rick into the chicken yard. He pointed to a small yellow chick. "What about that one?"

"Him? Sure."

"How much?" Jack asked.

"Fifty. But you'll also need chicken feed."

"Alright, gimmie some feed and I'll haul it home." Jack paid Rick and within moments he was hauling a ton of chicken feed in his knapsack and a small chicken in his arms. He decided that his chicken, like Frodo, needed a name. "So what shall we call you?"

The little chick chirped at him.

"How does Sam sound? We'll keep going with this Lord of the Rings stuff. I'll get you some more chickens after a while. How does that sound?"

"Chirp!" It squeaked.

Jack smiled. "I knew you'd like it." He brought Sam into his chicken coop and let him down, then dumped the feed into the bin. He sprinkled some out just so Sam would be fed fine. 'See you tomorrow, Mr Samwise.."

Jack closed the door and looked at the rise above his property. From here, he could make out a flash of pink through the trees. Since the chicken coop was so close to the end of his property, he decided to take a stroll over his bridge and see what he could see. The land went upwards, since his farm lay at the base of a small mountain. More like a large hill, in terms of geography. It might take him an hour to reach the top, if not sooner.

The path branched just into the trees. One way went up the mountain, the other went towards town. And there were some steps leading a tall slope. He took the steps and found Popuri sitting on a stump near a small river. There was a water fall area and the river than ran down past his property and a small wading area. Off to the side, he noticed a pool with a fence around it and steam rising from the surface. The hot springs, no doubt.

He approached and said, "Hey."

"GAAAH!" Popuri shrieked and fell backwards. Jack shot forward and caught her by the shoulders. He steadied her. "Careful. Next time I might not be here to catch you."

"You scared me!" She cried, "That wasn't very nice!"

"Well, it's not like I planned it. I could have wanted to scare you a lot worse than that. BARGH!" He jumped again, shouting suddenly. Popuri shrieked, but didn't fall over the stump. "Stop that!" She cried. "I don't feel like being scared. A stray dog killed Mr. Feathers."

"Rick told me." Jack said. "I'm sorry."

Popuri sniffled. "He was my favorite chicken. I meant to lock him up last night, but I got so busy I just forgot." She looked up at him. "You're the new Jack, aren't you?"

Jack held his hands out wide. "I can't lie. It's me."

"I'm Popuri." She said with a sudden sweetness that had been absent a second before. She stood to her feet and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you finally. I've seen you in the field all week long. I was wondering when you'd get up and pay your neighbors a visit."

"Well, I needed to buy a chicken." He said. "So, are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be alright." She said, sighing, "But I will miss Mr. Feathers. It's getting a little late. I can't be gone from the farm too long. Thank you for coming up here to check on me, I appreciate it." That wasn't why he had gone up there. He'd...well, truth be told he didn't really know _why_ he went up there but he felt compelled nonetheless. If she wanted to think that, who was he to tell her otherwise?

"Will we see you on Sunday?" Popuri asked, talking faster than he could reply.

"What's Sunday?" Jack asked.

"The Harvest Festival, silly. You _do_ know about that Harvest Festival, don't you?"

"I heard about it, but-."

"Great!' She jumped in. "We'll see you there, then. Who's your dance partner?"

"Well, no one really-."

"No one? We can't have that, no sir!" She said, crossing her arms. "It's bad luck and it breaks tradition. But don't worry. I haven't found a partner yet, so as your new neighbor I'm obligated to let you ask me to the Festival to be my dance partner."

"I-."

"Fantastic! I'll see you on Sunday! Pick me up from the farm at about nine- thirty and don't be late! Oh, and dress in something nice, it's a little bit of a formal thing but make sure it's something comfortable you can dance in. Oh, and bring your appetite! My mom cooks the best peach cobbler in the world, okay Jack? Bye!" She waved good-bye and disappeared down the steps, vanishing before Jack could utter a word.

After a long moment, Jack said, "What just happened? How did I get myself invited to a dance without saying anything?" He tucked his hands into his pocket and walked off. Oh well. He guessed he'd find out on Sunday.


	5. Harvest Festival

CHAPTER FIVE "HARVEST FESTIVAL"

Saturday morning, Jack awoke to the sounds of barking and yelling. He jumped up and threw on his clothes right quick and headed out the door. "Stupid dog! Get off!" He heard. Jack whistled and Frodo came running to him. Jack blinked the sleep from his eyes and looked again.

A man was walking on his lawn. Of all the things in the world, the guy was wearing a yellow trench coat and a small, multi-colored umbrella on his head. He was definitely Asian in origin, complete with a thin, mustache that dipped down below his jawline and a large pair of glasses on his face.

"Got a good reason why you're here?" Jack asked, leaning against his door frame. The man simply smoothed the front of his yellow trench coat and stepped forward. "Ah, my name is Won and I come to Min-er, Flowerbud every year in spring to sell merchandise. Might I ask who you are?"

"Jack. Elder Jack's grandson. I'm in charge of the farm now."

"Ah, Jack-san. I knew your grand sire and he was a good man. I was sorry to see him pass. He was my best customer. Can I hope for you to renew his business?" Won smiled a slick, salesman-type smile as he heard cash registers ring in his head.

Jack smiled and chuckled. "Perhaps. Save the sales pitch for later, though. I gotta get the farm whipped into shape first and then I gotta decide what I want to plant, so save it for later."

Won dipped low. "Ah, very good and well then. I will be staying at the Inn if you need to find me. I apologize for cutting across your farm." The yellow coated salesman left the farm and Jack went back inside. He'd worked all week and his body was sore, but steadily getting better. He figured he'd go light today and save his strength for the festival tomorrow.

He took a walk into town and down the avenues. It sure was a nice day today. Jack stopped. "What's wrong with me? A nice day?" He continued on. Of course it was a nice day. His problem was that he never stopped to admire a day before. He was always running from match to match, sleeping on airplanes and in airports and in hotels, too busy to stop and admire something as simple as the day and the clean air.

It was peaceful. More peaceful than anything he'd ever experienced. He walked down the avenue and passed the hospital, where he noticed the Doc talking with Elli. Just past the hospital was the church. He hadn't been in the church yet. He opened the door and poked his head in before stepping in completely.

Hello?" He said.

"Back here." A voice said. Jack stepped into the quaint church, looking around. Suddenly, a young, brown haired man in a pastor's robes appeared from behind the podium; he looked to be in his early twenties. "Ah, sorry about that. I was fixing a lose wire in the stand. Can I help you?"

"I was just walking in to look around. See what I could see." Jack looked around. "It's very nice in here. You guys have church on Sundays?"

"Every Sunday for as long as I can remember. You must be Jack. I've heard a great deal about you from some of the other villagers."

Jack grinned, "Hmmm, good or bad?"

"Good things, Jack." The pastor smiled, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Pastor Ben Carter. I took over the pastoral duties when Pastor Bradford died a few years back. Can we expect you this Sunday?"

"What time is the service?" Jack asked.

Ben slapped his forehead. "Oh darn my memory, this Sunday is the Harvest Festival. I will be doing a special sermon in the Square before the Festival. Will we see you there, then?"

"Apparently," Jack said, shaking his head. "I was unintentionally asked on a date, so I guess I have an obligation to fulfill."

"Well, the dance partners are merely a formality. We have several young folks in town, but no couples. Might I ask who your partner is?"

"Popuri."

Ben smiled. "She's a very lovely girl, Jack. Is she who you wanted to go with?"

Jack shrugged. "I didn't know about it until she told me and then got me hooked into taking her, so I don't know."

"Did you want to take someone else, then?" Ben asked.

Jack shrugged again. "I don't know! I don't know anyone hardly at all. I met Karen and Ann and Elli, but I wasn't thinking of romance when I met them."

"They might think differently." Ben said, placing his arm around Jack. "You're a good person, Jack, I can tell that."

Jack scoffed. "Hmph! Depends on who you ask. But, then again, you don't know any of those clowns who'd talk bad about me."

"And, indeed, I wouldn't won't to talk to them. But you must realize that you have made quite an impression since you moved here earlier this week. You're the talk of the town; the big man in town. Surely you realize that."

"I was beginning to notice."

"Yes, but in no way do I want you to think you're not welcome. Just remember that God has a plan for you and sometimes that plan may come about in ways you don't expect. If you start to wonder about something or have any questions, come and ask me. We'll pray together, alright?"

"Sure, no problem." Jack shook Ben's hand. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, God moves in our lives in so many ways...He put it on my heart that you're going to move in all our lives in a powerful way, but none so powerful as your own. I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you. If you need anything at all, just let me know."

Jack nodded. "Alright. Actually, I could use an idea as to what to wear for the Harvest Festival tomorrow."

Pastor Ben sent Jack in the direction of someone who could get him some decent clothes. When Jack was finally out through the door and gone, Pastor Ben turned around and said, "He's gone."

Karen poked her head up from the podium and sighed. "Did he know I was here?'

"No. Karen, please don't ask me to do that again. I find the thought of you eavesdropping on me and Jack's conversation very disturbing. Why didn't you want him to know you were here?" He asked.

Karen put her hand on her forehead. "I don't know. I just...panicked I guess. I didn't want him to know I was here asking about him."

"Well, I suppose you got the answer to your question." Ben said. "He's going to the Festival with Popuri."

Karen scoffed. "That figures. The first guy that comes along and she crawls all over him."

"Karen, Popuri has every right to ask Jack to the Festival as you do." Pastor Ben said.

Karen sighed. "I know, Pastor. Sorry to bug you." Karen left the church and once, outside, promptly kicked a rock and sent it sailing into the woods. Curse her luck, she was too slow to ask Jack. She was sure she would have asked him in time if only she had gathered up the courage.

Curse her luck and curse her fate. She wasn't ready for this, not for Jack. She hadn't expected him to come along right now, not when she had so much she wanted to do. If she got involved with him, it meant she had to take back a promise she made and it meant she had to do something she hated more than anything else in the world. Curse her luck, she hadn't expected this.

She hadn't expected to fall for him so hard. If it hadn't been for that little slut Popuri...

Karen couldn't even come to think of it. She marched home with her hands in her pockets.

Sunday morning, Jack woke and promptly made quick work of himself. His hair was rather low maintenance. A little gel, some brushing and it was ready for the day. He left his cap at home and instead settled for a black- and-red button down t-shirt and some dress khakis he'd managed to finagle from Elli's mother.

His first Festival. He wondered what it was going to be like.

"You talked to him for five minutes and you're already going out with him?" Ann asked as she worked her fingers through Popuri's hair. Tradition was for the girl's mother to work the flower vines through her hair, but Popuri's mother wasn't feeling well today and so she was sleeping.

Popuri sat still as Ann worked her hair into the vines-tradition, it was. "I'm _not_ going out with him, I was just...I don't know, panicked. I opened my mouth and I just couldn't stop going. I thought if I let him open his own mouth, he might try to talk me out of it."

_"Karen's gonna be pissed."_ Ann thought to herself. Popuri and Karen were not friends, by and large, but Ann was both their friend, so she was subject to hearing things she had to swear never to tell the other girl. And, of course, being caught in the middle she felt like a referee at times. Unfortunately, the one thing she felt she couldn't do was jump in herself. She had thought about asking Jack herself, but it was too late now.

"Well, at least you _have_ a dance partner. All I have is my dad. How embarrassing is that?" Ann scoffed.

Popuri rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, it's so embarrassing, you might as well roll over and _die_!" The two fell into laughter. This was their fourth year participating in the Festival, but it was the first in which they felt the need to dance with someone other than their relatives. Rick had danced with her at every Festival and was a little saddened when he heard she already had a partner.

A knock came at the door and Rick stepped in. "Hey, sis. Are you ready yet? The Festival is in thirty minutes."

"Is it?" She glanced at her clock. "Oh! Jack should be here any minute now! How do I look?"

"Like bubble gum wrapped in tissue paper." Ann quipped. "I hate these festival robes. I hate them with a passion."

Rick pushed his glasses up his nose with his fingers. "You girls look fine to me."

"Yeah, but you're obligated to tell us that." Ann said.

Rick scoffed and went back down the stairs. "No, I'm not!"

"Tell us otherwise, then!" Ann yelled, then she turned to Popuri. "Come on, Pope. Let's go dancing. Ready?"

Popuri stood up and smoothed her robes. "Ready as I can be. I just wish mom were feeling better. I'm gonna miss her peach cobbler this year."

Jack knocked on the door to the house and Rick promptly answered the door. "Come in, but be quiet. Mom's sleeping." Jack stepped quietly into the house. It was quaint and homey-like everything in this village. He noticed Rick wasn't dressed. "No going?"

"Not this year." Rick said. "I have to take care of mom. But don't worry about us, just have fun with Popuri. You know, you're one of the only guys who got one of the girls for a dance partner?"

"I am?" Jack asked. "How so?"

"Well, I heard Popuri was the only one who got asked. That was very nice of you to ask her to the Festival." Rick said. Jack chuckled under his breath. So now it was _he_ who asked her, was it? Well, who was he to say 'no' to a good looking girl? Besides, it was only a dance.

Hearing footsteps, he turned and spied Ann and Popuri coming down the stairwell. Both were dressed in white robes with barely the faintest tinge of purple in them. Vines of leaves and flowers were braided into their hair. Popuri caught sight of him and smiled, waving at him. The three of them left the house and headed for the Square together.

"Glad to see you could make it, Jack." Ann said. "We were beginning to think that you had cold feet."

Jack laughed. "Well, I might have more lead feet than cold feet. Sorry to say but I don't know how good a dancer I am."

"You've never danced before?" Popuri asked.

"Not since high school and that was back when MC Hammer was in style, so needless to say I don't think my moves are in style." He noticed Popuri and Ann gaze at one another. He frowned. "Come on, you guys have heard of MC Hammer, haven't you?"

"Jack, we don't know what kind of music is played outside of Flowerbud." Popuri said, "We haven't had new music or things like that since...well, come to think of it we've _never_ had new music or anything. We make our own."

"So you guys don't know anything about outside the village?" Jack asked, shocked.

They shook their heads. "Only what we hear." Ann said. "Why, is that bad?"

"No." Jack said suddenly, "In fact, it's absolutely perfect. Er, that is you're not really missing much about the outside. Trust me, it's why I moved here."

XxXxXxXxXxX

The only thing in the Square for the Festival was a raised platform for the band to play on and a buffet table with an assortment of foods on it. The entire village was present. Jack noticed that the only girls wearing the Festival robes and wreaths were Ann, Popuri, Karen, Elli, and a young girl named Mary who he had learned looked over the library.

Everyone was milling about, some taking snippets of food here and there. Jack wasn't sure what the tradition was here, but he stayed close to Popuri since her was, technically, her date. She touched his arm and said, "I'm going to find Mayor Thomas. Be right back."

"Alright." Jack watched her flitter off into the crowd and decided to get himself some punch. He was busy taking a sip when he heard a familiar voice. "I didn't think we'd see you here today." Karen said.

Jack had to admit that Karen looked quite fetching in her robes. Jack wasn't someone who normally stuck with one person. He also, though he never thought this of himself, was a little shallow. The first thing he thought about when he saw Karen was that she was definitely prettier and had a better figure than Popuri. Not that he would know because Popuri kept wearing those wide bottom, conservative dresses that left everything to the imagination.

He had to admit that he was slightly more attracted to her. Not that Popuri wasn't nice, but Karen had that look about her that just screamed 'bad girl'. He finished his sip and said, "Well, I got wrangled into it by Popuri. You know how it is."

"No, I don't." She said. And since Jack didn't know how to put it to her, he just said, "Okay."

"Are you going to do some dancing today?" She asked.

"Well, I'm going to do _something_. I don't know if you can call it dancing." Something happened then that somewhat surprised him. Karen laughed. That alone tipped the scale more in Karen's favor because nothing made Jack feel better than when he could make a girl laugh.

Popuri came back just then and caught the two of them together, but she knew better than to try and start something. "Hi, Karen. Ready for the Festival?" She stood next to Jack as if to say, _"Not this time, Karen."_

"I guess. I never liked wearing these robes, though." Karen held one with her pinched fingers, as if she were wearing a dirty trashbag instead. "They're just blah!"

"I know, I know. Come on, Jack. The Festival's about to begin." Popuri grabbed Jack by the arm and led him off to the platform, where Mayor Thomas stood. He waited until the entire village was gathered and then he went ahead and started. "Good day everyone! It's time for the Harvest Festival once again!" Everyone cheered and clapped. "Before we start with the festivities, Pastor Ben will lead us in prayer and then a small sermon."

Pastor Ben stepped up. "Today we celebrate another year in Flowerbud. Last year we were blessed with a good harvest and good weather. The Bible says that those who bless others will receive their blessings back and more besides. Indeed, that is the very heart of this village and its people. We bless each other and we are, in turn blessed ourselves. This year, we do have a new member of our village. Mr. Jack Harris, who is taking over his grandfather's farm and will be with us hopefully for many blessed years to come. Jack, may our village and God bless you as we welcome you here and as you work to fix your farm."

Jack inclined his head politely. Pastor Ben led them in a short prayer for a good harvest this year and good weather. They finished praying and the Mayor blew a whistle to start the festivities.

First on the list was the Harvest Dance. It was done by the girls wearing robes. Doug assured him that it was a tradition to do the dance. He looked back and forth between Popuri and Karen, feeling unsettled about both of them. Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something stirring.

Jack just shook his head. He was the last person in the world to think about relationships. He'd had every one of those seven girlfriends he'd told Karen about. He was far from anxious to get another psycho ex- girlfriend on his list.

Once the dance was done, the band started playing some upbeat music and Jack spent the rest of the day dancing to the simple village music. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was good enough to dance to. He didn't embarrass himself thoroughly like he thought he would, but neither did he tear up the floor. Some dances had steps he didn't know and Popuri had to show him. He danced and lost himself with Popuri. Karen had laughed once, but Popuri laughed all the time. There was never a moment he was with her that she wasn't smiling. He had to admit that her joy was infectious and a great deal of the time he found himself smiling and laughing with her.

It was the first time in a long time he had fun and it didn't involve alcohol nearby or a girl with next to nothing-if not nothing at all-on her. He switched dance partners every now and then, getting someone thrown into his arm thanks to a dance move that required throwing your partner at someone else.

Karen suddenly spun into his arms. "Fancy meeting you here." She said, smiling. Now that Karen was there, Jack suddenly forgot about Popuri when Karen flashed her bright green eyes at him and gave him a smile he knew all too well. He grinned back and watched as she twirled beside him, her brown hair swirling around her in a most attractive manner. He enjoyed dancing with her, but soon she was switched with Ann and then Mary and back to Popuri.

All too soon, the day was done and everyone was exhausted from dancing. At close to six o'clock, everyone went back to their homes laughing and happy. Jack walked Popuri back home. At her door, she turned around. "I haven't had this much fun at a Festival in a long time. Thanks for taking me, Jack."

"Sure. I'd better get home or you might finagle me into another date." He said. She laughed and then, suddenly, darted right out and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye." She said, rushing inside before he could see that her cheeks were as pink as her hair.

Jack yawned and made for home. No longer needed, he took off his button down shirt on the walk home and let his semi-soaked muscle shirt air out in the cool spring air. He got home and plopped down on his couch and curled up with Lord of the Rings. Reading about Aragorn and Arwen made him suddenly aware that he had spent a great deal of time with Popuri and Karen, but he wasn't entirely sure what there was about them. Or, perhaps, he was just looking into this too deeply. Yeah, that's it.

He fell asleep on the couch when he thought about that, his book parted on his stomach.


	6. Sell My Wife

CHAPTER SIX: SELL MY WIFE

Jim Black settled his gray Lexus into the driveway of Jack's former beachside house. It was nightfall and there was no one around. It'd been a few days since the incident with Jack's father and he didn't want to anger anyone again. If he pushed his luck, he'd end up in jail. He'd been there before and it was a part of being a PI, but it was an annoyance he didn't need. If word got out he was on the lookout for Ace Valentine, it might get him undue attention he didn't need either.

According to his sources, Valentine had sold most of hid homes and property and pocketed the money. As for his money, it was in an account in a bank and it hadn't been touched by anyone since his just before his disappearance. There was a withdrawal of exactly $200,000 and not a penny less. However, he hadn't left the country. Jack Harris had a passport and a special account with the airlines and that account and passport hadn't been touched either.

"He's running." Jim told himself. "Running from something. But he hasn't left the country and he hasn't bought anything as far as I know." He stepped out of his car and went up to the beach house. He noticed that there was no home alarm system. He cracked a door thanks to some backhanded PI training. He flipped on his flashlight and started looking around for something.

He checked the phone ID and wrote down five numbers. One he knew was his parents house, so he knew not to call them. The beach house, so he was told, had been turned over Jack's parents and was on loan to anyone in Jack's family. Apparently, Jack had an extensive family on both sides and, thanks to his fame and money, had taken care of everyone. No one who was related to the famous Ace Valentine was in need. He gave them money, hands down and no questions asked. "Nice guy." Jim told himself. "Wish I had a cousin like him."

The beach house was on loan to whoever was in his family who wanted to use it. Another gift. As he walked through it, Jim looked for something he could use to locate Jack Harris aka Ace Valentine. The house was spotless and very nice. Jim decided to indulge himself for a few minutes and grabbed a beer out of the fridge.

He opened drawers, checked wastebaskets, glanced at any scrap of paper lying about, anything he could use. There was nothing, though. He didn't have a single clue how to find Jack. He left the beach house with his beer and decided to head for home. The numbers might provide something, but he doubted it.

Jack used to spend hours at a time in the gym, lifting weights, pulling reps, building muscle, then going and busting butt in the ring with big, muscled guys who wanted to hurt him. But it felt like after all that he should have no trouble going out and busting butt in the field all day.

After two weeks of working, he realized that farming was hard. It was no revelation, though. He assumed it was hard and now he was experiencing it first hand. It had some perks, though.

First order of business was the clear the field. There were five threat with his fields: weeds, logs, rocks, stumps, and the boulders. He'd have to get the Blacksmith to modify his tools to take care of the stumps and boulders but that was later. The first three was his primary concern. Clear the field first. He decided to make a system. One thing at a time. First was the weeds. So he spent all week the first week and it was Friday the second week he finally finished. He was out there every day with his scythe, hacking away with his scythe at the knee high weeds that dotted he landscape.

He had an occasional visit from some of his fellow villagers. He saw Popuri everyday in the distant fields. She'd see him and wave; he'd wave back. Karen stopped by in the afternoons and see how he was doing. He found out she did the bookwork for the General Store, had a real head for numbers. She'd lean on his produce bin and talk for a few minutes and then head home.

At noon on Thursday, he hacked at the last little weed and sighed in satisfaction. "Finally! No more weeds!" He piled them up in a corner of the field, where he planned to turn it into a compost pile for fertilizer.

Time for the next part of his plan: Logs. He discovered that he had a storage shed for wood and that it already had a substantial amount of wood that was still usable. He decided to hack up the remaining logs on his land and put them in with his regular wood. The stones and logs together weren't nearly as much as the weeds, but he was still glad to have the weeds done.

In fact, he felt so good for finishing the weeds, he decided to take the rest of the day off. He brought his tools to the toolbox and put them up, then grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the Hot Springs. The Springs, he found, were perfect to soak away a day's work. He changed in the hut and then jumped in for half an hour, letting the heat ease his aching muscles and the dirt, sweat, and grime wash away. He jumped back out and headed into town, deciding to take care of some business he had intended to take care of a long time ago.

It was three in the afternoon and he only had an hour before the Library closed. He had blasted through the rest of the Lord of the Rings and was hungry to devour another novel or two soon. He had boxes of books he had bought, but never finished or even cracked open because of his busy schedule. If he didn't stop himself, he'd work from sun-up to sun down without a break. Jack's problem was that he was a true workhorse, sometimes at the expense of his mental and physical health-he wasn't about to have another nervous breakdown because he didn't know when to say when

Besides, his field was clear of weeds. He deserved a break. Lest he forget, his purpose for coming here was to leave the stress and back- breaking behind him. The farm was his and he'd get it ready at his own pace and no sooner or later.

He would get to his books soon, but he planned on scanning the shelves of the Library and seeing what they had available. He stepped inside, noting how quiet the door was when it opened. He shut it quietly behind him. He looked around and noticed the quiet atmosphere, the silent room. He just wanted to look at the books, but he didn't realize how complicated he was about to make his life.

There was only one person inside: A young lady who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. He thought Popuri was conservative with her long dress, but the Librarian made Popuri look like she was loose as a goose. She was decked in a simple dress and blouse and wore a pair of small thin-rimmed glasses. Of all things, she was talking to herself as she sat be behind the front desk, staring into a notepad. He walked up softly, listening.

"Now, what should I do here?" She asked. "No, that doesn't make sense. Maybe..." She paused and thrummed her fingers on the desk. Jack cleared his throat and she jumped slightly. "Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. Sometime I get so lost in thought, I don't pay attention." She adjusted her glasses. "I don't believe I've met you yet."

"I'm Jack." Jack said.

"Oh, the new guy taking over the...is it the Old Time Farm, now?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Mary Ashton, the Librarian." She said, smiling with perhaps the smallest smile Jack had ever seen. He reached out and offered his hand. Mary stared at it, as if she had never seen one before. Slowly she put her hand in his, both of them noticing just how much bigger his hand was than hers. He shook gently, so as not to crush her hand, so petite and small was it. In fact, Mary herself was small and petite, only slightly taller than half of Jack's size. Still, Jack was a big fellow at just over six feet tall.

"So what can I do for you?" Mary asked.

"I came to check out the Library." Jack said, "I'm one of the biggest bookworms you'll ever meet. I wanted to see what you have."

"Oh, some actual work for me." Mary practically leapt off her feet and walked Jack towards the shelves. She waved her hands at them. "Most of these books have been here for a long time. Some of them were written by my dad, Basil. He's an expert on Botany and all the local plants and herbs. Being a farmer, you might find those useful."

"Maybe."

"And this section here is helpful advice on farming, crops, seasonal planting, raising animals and such. You might find those very helpful."

"Not bad." Jack said, "But what about fiction?"

"Oh. Well, we don't have as many of those as we do other books. Here on these two rows." Mary pointed. Jack looked down and shook his head. It was mostly children's fiction he'd read in the fifth grade: Number the Stars, The Phantom Phone Booth, Lord of the Flies, Born of the Fourth of July, Homeward Bound. Some occasional ones he'd read before: The Horse Whisperer, Redeemer, some he'd never heard of.

"What about fantasy? Science-fiction? Tech-thrillers? Spy novels?" Jack asked. Mary shook her head. "No, I don't think we've ever had anything like that here. What are they?"

"Only some of the best novels ever written. You've never read Lord of the Rings?"

Mary shook her head.

"The James Bond novels?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Star Wars trilogy? Tom Clancy? Sara Douglass?"

"Sorry, but I haven't really read anything by that name."

"Okay. What exactly do you read?"

"Mostly my father's novels and a few romance novels." She said with a slight blush. Jack nodded and snapped his fingers. "Alright, I think you might like Sara Douglass. She wrote an awesome series of books. Now, it's fantasy, but romance is a real heavy theme through the whole thing so I think you might like it."

"Oh." Mary said, "What's it about?"

"Well, it's about this guy, Axis and how he's destined by this Prophecy to wage war against his evil brother, Gorgrael. But like I said, the romance thing comes into play when the Prophecy says that the only thing that can defeat Axis is through his lover and he's got two of them on the side: one is his sweetheart Faraday, who's also the wife of his OTHER brother, Borneheld. And the other is Azhure, his lover as well as the mother of his child. It's a trilogy that goes real deep with Axis waging war against Borneheld AND Gorgrael and trying to figure out the Prophecy to see who's really behind it. It's unbelievable."

"Wow." Mary said, her eyes widening, "Sounds interesting. What about that other one? Lord of what?"

"The Rings. Lord of the Rings. It's Fantasy, too. It's all about this dark lord who made this ring that lets him conquer the world. A Hobbit named Frodo inherits the ring from his uncle and finds out that he has to destroy it or the Dark Lord will be able to conquer his world. I recommend it, too. I can bring you the Sara Douglass novels, if you want."

"I would love that." Mary said, practically squealing. She stopped herself, as if she didn't want him to see her overact like that and said, "I would like that. But I will have to read it on my off-time. You see." She looked away. "I'm writing my own novel."

"No kidding? How far along are you? What's it about?"

"Oh, well, I don't know, I...I'm not really...that is-." Mary stuttered so badly she didn't know what to say. Some people knew she was writing a novel, but they usually just shrugged it off and said, "That's nice." No one had ever asked her what it was about.

"Well, that's okay." Jack said. "If you want, I can read it and tell you what I think."

"Oh, well, I-I-I don't know..."

The poor girl was having fits, Jack noticed. "Or not. It's okay. Can I take any of these farming books with me?"

"No, nobody is allowed to take books home. But you're free to read them here." Mary suggested. "I'm about to close for the day, but you can come back tomorrow."

"I thought you close at four, huh?" Jack glanced at his watch. "Are you closing up early?"

"Oh, well, I normally wait until four to close, but Fridays, the ladies get together in here for...well, a ladies get together. You wouldn't want to sit around with a bunch of women, now would you?"

Jack got a sly look on his face and rubbed his chin, a sly grin crossing his face. "Actually, that doesn't sound _too_ bad."

Mary erupted into giggles. "Well, I don't think the ladies would appreciate you sitting in on our get together."

Jack just smiled wider. "You sure about that? They might."

Mary covered her mouth with her hands, trying to stifle her laughter. "That's enough, Jack. I think it's time for you to go. The guys have a night together at the Inn, if you want to go there and, I don't know, do guy stuff."

"Sure, why not." Jack tipped his cap and about faced. "See you later, Mary. I'll bring the book by tomorrow sometime."

"Alright." She said. She waited until he was gone before letting out a breath she was unaware she was holding. She swallowed hard and put a hand over her chest before sitting down for fear she would fall down.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Jack reached the Inn and stepped inside. He took a seat at a table and sighed as he relaxed. Doug stepped around the bar and came over. "Hey, Jack! I knew it'd only be a matter of time before you found out about Friday nights. How'd you get wind?"

"Mary at the Library. Why, am I not supposed to know about it?"

"Well, it's a tradition for young men in the village to find out on their own. No invitations to Friday nights. Sound fair?"

"No, but who am I to judge?" Jack said, looking in at the other patron's of the Inn. Counting himself and Doug, it brought the total to two. "Where's Ann?"

"Oh, she's probably getting ready for the girls get together. In fact, she should be coming down right about-." They heard a door upstairs shut and Ann came bounding alongside the railing. She hopped her butt on the rail leading down the stairs and slid all the way down, jumping off at the end. "Hey, Dad. Hey, guy-whose-name-I-can't-remember. You gonna be good while I'm gone, Dad?"

Doug laughed. "Of course, honey. Have a good time with the girls."

"I'd rather have a good time with the guys, but you know how embarrassed Duke gets when I out drink him. I'd rather make fun of the girls and ladies giggling like idiots." Ann hawked up a loogie and spat it out the door as she opened it. "Bye."

"She's got issues." Jack said, staring at where Ann had stood.

Doug scoffed. "Sometimes, I like to call her Ann, the son I never had. Want a cider?"

"As long as it's not Ann's. Some supper sounds good, too." Doug served up the cider and got the stove cooking. As four and five o'clock rolled around, the men of the village began to show up. First it was Duke, who gave Jack a smug smile and sat about three tables away from him. Obviously, Duke didn't know about Jack paying his tab at the Store.

Speaking of which, Jeff, still decked in his white shirt and black bow tie came in second and followed closely by the Doctor, who wore his button down shirt and slacks, minus his white coat. Zack and Won came in after that, then Gotz, Rick, and Basil. If Rick was here, that meant that Lillia was feeling good enough to go to the ladies meeting with Popuri.

Pastor Ben Carter came in, of all people, and asked for only a supper. With him was Elli's younger brother, Stu. Old Barley of the Yodel Farm was next, coming in with his walking cane leading him. Mayor Thomas and his son, Constable Harris was next. The last two to come in were Saibara, the Blacksmith, and his grandson Gray.

By the time they rolled in, the Inn was hopping and noisy. Doug was cranking out the Friday Night Special: beef stew; double-stuffed potatoes; and a side of dirty rice. Ann's Apple Cider was spread around and Doug was generously tipped.

Rick took a seat near Jack and Zack and was sharing stories with him about life on the Poultry farm since his dad had left him in charge. Gray settled into the table with them listening slightly as he sipped a cider. The four young men seemed to be a separate faction amongst themselves, compared to the older men of the village.

Jack, sometime around seven, asked a question. He looked to Zack. "So, what's your story, Zack? We know Rick was born here, but you, me, and Gray weren't. How'd you end up in Flowerbud?"

"Who? Me?" Zack laughed. "Why the same thing happened to me that happened to you. I used to be a bouncer for a real upscale Boston nightclub. I used to put these guns to work every night since I was sixteen. Then, one day, I get a call from my mom. Says my grandpa is sick and needs some help with his boat. So I head down here and sure enough I find out he's sick as a dog. Old coot didn't think he was sick, though. So I start helping him with the heavy stuff around the boat. Before long, he's teaching me how to pilot the thing. Not long after THAT, he tells me everything he knows about selling Flowerbud's goods and who to give them to."

Zack took a swig of Cider. "Pretty soon, I'm taking care of the whole dad- gum business. Of course, it doesn't bother me that much. I mean, he gave me a fair share for helping him out and I wanted to help him cause he couldn't do it for himself. About two years ago, I woke up one morning and there he was in his bed, as dead as a doornail and with a smile on his face. I knew someone had to take the job and roll with it and since I knew all the things he taught me, I figured I outta take over and make him proud. So here I am, running the ferry in and out of Flowerbud, selling goods, brining supplies in from the mainland. You know, Jack, you're grandpa was the biggest source of income the village had. After he died three years ago, it was a shock, but we're just now starting to feel the strain of not having the farm. Flowerbud was almost entirely dependent on that farm and now that you're taking it over, we can go back to the way things were."

Jack looked over to Gray. "What about you, Gray? How'd you end up here?"

Gray just shrugged. "I dunno. Man, after high school I went into technical college for two years. I learned Industrial Instrumentation, a pretty slick job that isn't too hard and pays good. So I graduate and I get out there and start working for industrial contractors." He got a sneer on his face. "I pulled wire and was basically a gopher. You know, go fer this, go fer that. I was a helper for three years and then, just when I was about to make A-Class Journeyman, I get a pink slip, a boot in my rear, and no thanks for working for that contractor for three years. I lived off unemployment for six months. Just when it was about to run out, I was talking to Gramps over there on the phone one day and he says to me, "Come down and work for me. Learn my trade."

"So I figure there's no harm in it. At least I can have a place to live while I look for another industrial job. I've been here for two months and I still haven't heard anything from the plants. No one's hiring. The industrial field is shot! But the worst part isn't that. The worst part is having to be HIS helper all day." He jabbed his thumb at Saibara, who was chortling with Gotz over a joke. "I mean, I've put up with some crap in school and the plants, but nothing I do makes him happy. NOTHING! I feel like the world's biggest idiot when I work with him. Don't do this! That's wrong! Listen when I tell you something! I gotta tell you guys, I'm getting darn near sick of it!"

"And this town isn't helping either. There's NOTHING to do. What we're doing right now is the most exciting thing to do around here. There's not even any decent girls to go out with."

"Hold on." Rick said. "There's plenty of girls around here."

"Five girls is hardly a vast amount of choice." Gray said. "I had five girlfriends before I was out of high school."

"I had three." Zack said. "I came close to popping the question to the third one, but I found out she was dating me just to get into the club I worked at for free and get free drinks."

Jack smiled. "I had seven. Found two cheating on me, two left me with a 'Dear John' letter, one tried to stab me with a fork, one pressed some bogus rape charges on me, and one tried to steal everything I owned." Jack stopped talking and suddenly realized everyone was quiet and looking at him.

"Bummer." Gray mumbled loudly.

"Yeah, no spit." Zack snorted. "Guess you don't have much luck with girls."

"Oh, I have plenty of luck with girls. I just have bad luck trying to get them not to do something psychotic." Jack sighed.

"Well, you know what you could always do?" Duke asked.

"What?" Jack asked.

Duke looked to Gotz. "Gotz, what would you do in that situation?"

Gotz smiled. "Why, sell my wife, of course!"

"Yes!" Duke said, grabbing a mug of cider. "Sell my wife! Doug, sell my wife!"

"Sell mine, too!" Doug said. "Oh, wait! Too late for that!"

Saibara jumped in. "Sell mine!"

"Mine, too!" Jeff said loudly.

"I got one!" Mayor Thomas cried, though that wasn't true. Few of them had wives, but they joined in as Duke stood up and led them as he started singing:

_"Sell my wife and take no gripe!"_

_"She yells and moans and bores me!"_

_"So take her out and sell her quick!"_

_"So all her friends can adore me!"_

The chorus ended with all men erupting into laughter. It was an old Flowerbud joke song passed down since the Mayor himself was a kid. None of them meant it, of course, but you know how it is when guys get together. They get loud, rowdy, and they complain about women. What more could they want?

It was around this time that the women of Flowerbud were sitting around the Library, eating dinner with each other and talking about their husbands when Manna suddenly wondered aloud, "I wonder what they're all doing right now?"

"Probably drinking and singing, "Sell my wife." Ann said.

"Sell my wife?" Elli asked. "What's that?"

"It's what they sing when they think we're all not around. Here, I'll sing you a couple of verses." Ann gave them a few verses of the song, much to everyone's amusement. "We should do our own song." Sasha said.

"Good idea, mom." Karen said. "Well, call it 'Sell my man'." Everyone exploded into laughter. May, sitting on Popuri's lap, looked up and asked. "Why do you guys want to sell the men?"

"Because they're big, smelly, and rude." Elli said to her. "And they have no manners."

"Tell me about it." Ann said, belching suddenly. "Oops."

"Well, what about that new one." Sasha asked. "Jack. I've hardly seen hide nor hair of him since his arrival. What does he do all day long?"

"Work in the field." Popuri said, then added with a faint lick of her lips. "Sometimes, he doesn't wear a shirt."

"Well, that's hardly something to talk about." Anna said, "I mean, we've all seen our men with no shirt on and why should Jack be any different than any other man in the village?"

She would have rambled on longer, but Popuri added, "Well, you haven't seen _him_ without a shirt." She couldn't help but blush when she thought about it.

"Jeez, control yourself, Popuri." Karen said. "He just a guy."

"I don't know about that." Elli said. "I've seen him without his shirt on. He's covered in scars. Small ones, big ones, long ones. All over his chest and back and arms. His medical record says he's had a lot of injuries before. Herniated disks, broken bones, deteriorating joints. He said he was clumsy, a klutz. Hmph!" She scoffed. "If you ask me, I think he's hiding something. No one is clumsy enough to obtain those kinds of injuries."

"Does anyone know what he did before he came here?" Manna asked. Everyone shrugged. "Perhaps he's hiding from something."

"Or maybe he's running from something." Mary said. "In some books I've read, guys who don't talk about what their past are running from it."

"You read too many of those trashy romance novels." Karen said. "Why would he run from something? If he _was_ running, which I don't think he is, then why would he run here of all places and take over his grandfather's farm? No, I think he's just coming here to fulfill his grandfather's wishes."

To that, no one had anything to say or add.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Jack finished a healthy round of drinking and started for home late that evening. As he idly listened to the sounds of his footsteps on the brick walkways, he was aware of another person coming up on him at the coming intersection. Even at night, he recognized Popuri in her red dress and pink hair. She spied him and said, "Jack. I didn't expect to run into you here."

"On my way home, Popuri." Jack said. "Got work tomorrow. Gotta clear the logs and rocks outta the fields. What're you doing?"

"Heading home. Mom said she's going to stay with Anna and Basil tonight and come home tomorrow."

"Well, it's not safe to be out by yourself. I'll walk you home." Jack offered.

"Oh, thank you!" She said happily. The two of them walked side-by-side towards Popuri's house. "Did you get to have fun with the guys tonight?"

"Yeah, at least I have something to do on Friday night's now. What about you?"

"I've been going to these ladies get together since I was a little girl. You know, I see you a lot in the fields. You sure are working hard for someone who's never farmed before. Are you enjoying it?"

"It's alright. It's hard, no doubt, but hard work is something I'm used to." The two walked in relative silence until they reached the Poultry Farm. He bid her farewell and then made his way to his farm. He checked the weather. Tomorrow it would be raining. Great. So he could have the day to read and relax. No sense in working in the rain. He walked outside quickly and tracked down Sam, locking him up in the chicken coop so he wouldn't get into the rain. He whistled for Frodo and brought the puppy in for the night.

Jack scanned idly through the Sara Douglass novel he intended to give to Mary and then tucked himself into bed. Frodo jumped onto the bed and snuggled up next to his legs. He went to sleep, unaware that he was waltzing through the minds of three young women that night.


	7. Jack vs the Gopher

**Authors note: This ENTIRE chapter is based off something that happened to me in FoMT. I walked out to get my first crops and a happy little gopher stole one of my turnips. I laughed, but I imagine Jack would have a different reaction.**

XxXxXxXxX

CHAPTER SEVEN: "JACK VS THE GOPHER"

The weekend turned out to be a lazy one for Jack. He did little and accomplished not much at all. A trip to Zack's house at the beach landed him in possession of a fishing rod. He spent nearly all day Sunday beside his creek, sitting back lazily in a lawn chair with the rod between his toes whilst he napped the day away and Frodo ran circles around the farm. All in all he caught two fish, which he tossed back, and a weathered boot, which became Frodo's chew toy.

Monday came and after busting a few rocks and chopping up some wood, he made his way to the General store, where he found Jeff manning the register. The instant he spied Jack, Jeff straightened up and grinned. "My favorite customer!"

"I see Karen gave you the money." Jack said, edging his way up to the counter where the seeds were sitting.

"Yes, she did!" Jeff grinned. "It was very nice of you to pay off Duke's debt for him."

"Well, I wouldn't call it paying you off so much as transferring the debt to me. The lazy bum should pay you when he buys things." Jack said, eyeing a bag of turnip seeds. "I just came to get some crops and see how well this farming thing works out for me."

"We have turnips, cucumbers, and potatoes for our Spring Harvests. If you want a little more variety, Won always has some specialty crops you can buy." Jeff said.

"Won? That whacked-out Asian guy with the umbrella on his head? Well, maybe I'll pay him a visit and see what he has later on. Right now, I don't want to get in over my head. I'll take one bag of each kind of seed." Jack put them up on the counter and looked to the side, eyeing some things laying on the shelf next to the cash register.

"What this?" He asked.

"Oh, this is our biggest rucksack. Bigger so you can carry more in it."

"And this?"

"A basket. Holds lots of crops, more so than your rucksack would."

"I'll take them both." Jack said. He stuffed the seeds into the basket and secured the rucksack on his back. He paid Jeff, who was more than happy to take Jack's money. The young farmer left the General Store and found Karen and Rick standing in front of the Flowerbud mail box.

"What're you two up to?" He asked, pausing for a moment.

"We always meet each other here during the mornings." Karen said.

"Always got lots to talk about." Rick said with a smile. "But I can't ever stay gone long, what with Mom sick and Popuri not able to work on the farm."

"She works." Jack said. "I've seen her feeding the chickens in the field before."

"Well, she's no good at anything else." Rick said in a rather cynical tone, "Trust me, I should know. I live with her."

"Alright, Rick." Jack said, preferring not to stand there and listen to him whine about his sister. "I'll see you two around." He made his way back home to find that the day was half gone. After a brisk lunch, he returned to the fields with his hoe in hand, ready for a half day of work. Stepping up to the cleared earth that was nearest to his produce cooler, he spat into his hands, realized that was a stupid thing to do as he wiped his hands on his jeans, and then lifted the hoe over his head. "With the breaking of this ground, I hereby proclaim the Old Time Farm officially a farm."

He brought the hoe down and cleaved straight into the earth.

Jack cut out three small rows for each seed and watered them. He proceeded to clear his field of rocks and logs. A few weeks passed by and Jack watched as his turnips, cucumbers, and potatoes grew into small buds. He cleared his field of all but the stumps and big rocks.

Then, one day, he emerged to find that his turnips were ready, peeking out of the ground and ready for harvesting. "Alright!" He said, setting his water can down and snatching his basket and running for the nearest turnip. He bent of to pluck it from the earth, when suddenly the stalk moved.

Jack looked at it curiously He stepped back, watching as the ground shifted around the turnip. He tilted his head to the side. "This is slightly above average."

Without warning, the turnip suddenly sank into the ground and disappeared, stalk and all. "HEY!" Jack yelled. "What's going on here?"

Suddenly, something emerged from the moving earth, poking it's head up and shaking clear the dirt that was resting on it. Jack gawked at it.

It was a gopher.

The little gopher looked around until it spied Jack and then lifted its head up, sniffing the air around him as he stared at the farmer.

Jack grinned. "Well, I'll be darned." He knelt down, extending his finger. "Hey there, little fella. Are you burrowing around in my field?" The gopher leaned forward, sniffed Jack finger, and promptly chomped down on it.

"AAAAAAARGH!" Jack cried out, pulling his hand up and shaking it as he tried to get the gopher to let go, which he did and as soon as he touched the ground, he scampered back into his burrow and vanished. Jack shook his finger back and forth, swearing loudly. He hadn't broken the skin, but he had bit hard enough to hurt like crazy. He looked down at the hole the gopher had scampered into. The gopher suddenly popped his head up and squeaked at him before tunneling back into the ground.

The next turnip in line began to move.

"Oh no, you don't!" Jack cried. He grabbed the turnip stalk and started to pull on it, but he underestimated just how entrenched the gopher was because he could hardly make the turnip move. He tugged on it for a few moments before the stalk broke and the turnip vanished into the ground before he could picked himself off the ground.

"I don't' believe this! Stupid gopher! I gotta get these crops up before he takes em' out!" Jack started pulling up the turnips and setting them on the ground, rushing so that he could get them up before the gopher got them. He pulled the last turnip and turned around to collect them just in time to see the turnip behind him get pulled into another gopher hole.

"NO!" Jack said, crying as one of the last of his turnips vanished, leaving him with the one in his hand, but he threw that down in frustration. As soon as he did, the gopher scrambled out and grabbed the turnip by the stalk and pulled it back towards his hole. Jack stood still for a second, unable to believe what he was seeing, but watching his turnip started to descend into that gopher's hole snapped him out of him out of it.

With all the agility and power he could muster, he launched himself towards the hole, determined not to let a rodent get the best of him by taking his last turnip. He slid across the dirt, but was too late. The turnip zipped underground quicker than he could grab it and now Jack was a helpless man lying face down in the dirt.

"Lousy, rotten, no good varmint!" Jack swore, sticking his hand into the gopher hole and fishing around. "Gimmie back my turnips, you little-OOOW!" Jack snatched his hand, another bite mark red on his hand. "YOU LITTLE $#&%!&$((#(*^$!" Jack jumped around, holding his hands. He marched off to the barn.

First order of business: a pair of work gloves.

XxXxXxXxX

Jack returned to find his cucumbers disappearing off the vine. The plant itself was too big for the gopher to take down, but he'd tunnel underneath a cucumber and then reach up to yank it down. Jack tried to old fashioned gopher killing method: brute force. He walked calmly through his row of cucumbers, listening for any and all gopher sounds...that is, if they made any sound to begin with.

Suddenly, the earth began to churn next to a cucumber-or cukes, Jack liked to call them-and the gophers head popped out, sniffing around. Jack spied him; he spied Jack. Jack raised his axe in the air and attacked.

The gopher grabbed the cuke and pulled it back down. The axe came down and the satisfying sound of axe cutting through something squishy, which turned out to be the cuke and not the gopher. Not only had he not hit the gopher, but the gopher had managed to get away with more than 90% of the cuke as well.

Jack tried a few more times. He missed the gopher more times than he found him and each time he was just a little too slow in catching him. He tried to compensate for it by switching tools. He tried to swipe its head off with his sickle, tried to hammer him flat. When he exhausted all his tools, he suddenly got an idea.

XxXxXxXxX

Jack waited behind his big apple tree, his fishing pole in hand. He glanced out at the cuke that was hooked to his fishing pole. He waited patiently. Frodo sat next to him, wagging his tails and looking expectantly for whatever was to come next.

"Patience is a virtue, Frodo. Remember that, okay? Wait long enough and good things will come your way. And remember to be serene, calm, composed." Jack took in a deep zen-like breath. "We're both smarter than a stupid gopher, right?"

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the gopher poked his head out and began to inch his way towards the cuke. He leaned over and sniffed it; Jack gave the line a quick tug. The gopher was startled, but not for long. He started scampering out after the cuke and Jack began reeling it in. As soon as they were near the tree, Jack tossed the pole down and came charging out with his axe in hand. His charge lasted all of two seconds as he tripped over a tree root coming out from behind the tree and promptly fell flat on his face.

The gopher grabbed the cuke and turned around, running back to his hole. Jack growled, "GET 'EM, FRODO! SIC 'IM!" When no sicing happened, Jack turned to find Frodo happily rolling around on his back and ignoring his mater's cry for help. Jack sighed. "I guess I'm on my own then. Fine, he fell for it once, he'll fall for it again."

XxXxXxXxX

Three hours later, Jack had watched as the gopher picked off his crops at a leisurely pace, all the while ignoring the cuke once again attached to his fishing rod. All it meant to the gopher was that Jack wasn't around to bother him, so feel free to take what was left.

Jack threw his rod down in frustration. "That stupid gopher is gonna steal me blind. I've gotta find a way to get rid of it. But how?" Jack dashed off for the barn, hoping to find something that would help him.

XxXxXxXxX

Jack had seen it work in cartoons, so he figured he's at least try. Hiding behind his tree, string in hand, string connected to a stick that was holding up one side of a large wooden create with a cuke for bait.

The gopher took the bait this time and scampered under the box. As soon as he grabbed the cuke, Jack yanked on the string and the box fell on the ground, trapping the gopher. Jack leaped out from behind the tree in victory. "YEAH! That's how you do it, huh, Frodo?"

Frodo was too busy scratching himself to notice.

"That'll teach you to mess with someone who has opposable thumbs, you little rat!" He reached the box and leaned down. He had his sickle in one hand, ready to slice the little gopher into a few bloody pieces. He titled the box up, letting in a little light.

"WHAT?" Jack flung the box off to find the gopher gone, the cuke gone, and a nice little gopher mound on his nice clean grass. Jack kicked the box. "LOUSY *^$(^#, STUPID (*#&!&, OF ALL THE (*&*$*&!"

XxXxXxXxXxX

Jack started to rethink the things he had learned watching Bugs Bunny and went for a more subtle approach. He found something pack away inside the barn that was a surefire way to get rid of the gopher. He came back out of the barn with his grandfather's trusty old double-barreled 20 gage shotgun. Using an old trick he knew, but couldn't remember where he'd seen it, he managed to nail the gun to his tree, then used some string to loop around and tie one end to the trigger, and one end to a cuke. The barrel pointed down at the cuke, ready to kill whoever took it.

Jack hid behind his cooler and waited. Before long, the gopher stuck his head up and started scampering his way over. Jack grinned. "That's it, little fella. Go take my cucumber so I can splatter you all over my lawn.

The gopher grabbed the cucumber and pulled. The string was hooked to the cuke, so it resisted. He pulled on it, going a few steps back as he did until the gun fired. The gopher, however, had pulled out all the slack and the gun merely shot the string and hit the ground. The gopher pulled the cuke underground and Jack smashed his head against his produce cooler again and again.

Suddenly, he remembered where he had seen the gun trick, and it hadn't worked on that roadrunner either.

"This is starting to get old." Jack told himself. He felt like a certain coyote. He tried using the gun the normal way, but the first round that went off not only didn't kill the gopher, but the kick tore his shoulder out of the socket. It was no big deal, though. It happened to him all the time. He slammed his shoulder into the tree and knocked it back in with a good deal of pain accompanying it.

So the shotgun was a bad idea. Jack returned it to the barn and began digging for something he was sure would help him out. His eyes glared evil as he produced a surefire way to get rid of that blasted gopher.

XxXxXxXxX

"Here gopher, gopher, gopher." Jack called. The gopher poked his head out and saw Jack's sole remaining cuke sitting on the ground, surrounding by long, red sticks with sparking fuses on the ends. Jack grinned to himself. "That's it. Just a little closer."

XxXxXxXxX

"What've you got for us today?" Rick asked. Mary held out some herbs in a small baggie. "My dad says these help restore some stamina and reduce fatigue."

"Wonderful!" Popuri said, taking them. "Mom will appreciate these. Thanks, Mary. You're such a good friend."

_**KA-BOOOOM!**_

The Poultry Farm was suddenly rocked by a gigantic explosion. Mary, Rick, and Popuri stood there with hocked looks on their faces. "What was that?" Popuri asked.

"Sounds like it came from Jack's farm." Rick pointed. "Look!" There was a large column of smoke and dust rising from Jack's field. The three of them ran down the street until they came to Jacks farm, only to find him dancing around a large, smoldering crater with his sickle in his hand, laughing like a maniac.

"HAHAHAHA! Who's the man?" He cried out to no one. "No one gonna steal MY crops!"

"Jack!" Popuri cried. "What're you doing?"

Jack spun around and they saw a dirty, ragged, flush-faced Jack crazed with near-insanity staring back at them. He smiled and approached them. When he was three steps away, they all took a step back, somewhat afraid of him and his appearance. "You guys are just in time to witness my victory!" He gestured to his field. They leaned to the side, viewing the smoking crater.

"Jack, you blew up your field?" Mary asked. "Why?"

"What?" Jack spun around, "No! I mean, yeah I blew it up, but most importantly, I got rid of that blasted gopher."

"What gopher?" Rick asked.

"You mean that gopher?" Popuri pointed. Jack gasped and spun around again. There, crawling out of the crater without a burn or scratch on him, was the gopher. He looked around and sniffed the air before letting out a patronizing squeak.

Jack lifted his sickle above his head, screwed his face into a mask of unbridled fury and screamed, "DI-I-I-I-IE!" he lunged towards the ground and hit it with a sick 'THUD', stabbing the ground with his sickle. The gopher had already retreated to his hole.

"He's insane." Rick said, breathlessly, unable to comprehend was he was seeing. "He's gone completely insane because of a gopher. A _gophe!_"

The gopher's head suddenly burst out of the ground and looked up at the three humans. Popuri let out a small squeal. "Oooooh, he's so cute! Come here, little guy." The gopher jumped into Popuri's hands as she lifted him up and snuggled him to her chest. Jack spun around and scrambled towards them, sickle raised. "Good work, Popuri. Now hold him still so I can chop him half!"

Popuri put the best scowl on that she could and as soon as Jack was within reach, she drove a swift kick between his legs. Jack hit the ground in pain. She put her hand on her hips and looked down on him. "Shame on you, Jack Harris, for trying to kill an innocent creature like this! How dare you!"

Jack got on his knees in front of Popuri, his hands lifting. "You don't understand! That's not a gopher, it's the ANTICHRIST! It's DEMONIC!. IT HAS TO DIE!"

Popuri delivered a swift slap to the side of his face. "I will not have you killing critters in front of me! I'm going to take this gopher up the side of Mother's Hill and release him where he can be safe and free and romp with his other critter friends. Don't you dare let me catch you trying to kill these innocent creatures again, Jack!" With a 'hmph' and a stomp of her foot, Popuri turned around and headed down Jack's property with the gopher in tow.

The gopher took one last look at Jack and winked.

Jack's hands ground into the dirt. "I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!"

Rick waved his finger at Jack and said in an all-knowing voice, "Never get between my sister and her critters."

"Put that finger up, Rick, or you won't have it much longer." Jack growled. Rick promptly drew his finger back and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Mary looked at Jack. "It's okay, Jack. Just let Popuri take the stupid gopher far away. He can't bother you anymore."

"I suppose you're right." Jack said with a sigh. He hauled himself up and began walking towards his house nearly doubled-over. Rick and Mary looked to each other. "Are you gonna be alright, Jack?" Rick asked.

"I think I'm gonna need a splint or something." Jack said with a groan. "And an ice pack. And some beers. And maybe a handful of narcotic meds."


	8. Debts

CHAPTER SEVEN: "DEBTS"

XxXxXxXxX

A day Jack knew was coming finally came. It was at the tail end of spring and he was busy harvesting in his fields. The Spring harvest finally had arrived and, barring anymore gopher incidents, Jack had a few good rows of turnips and cukes to pull up. The basket he had purchased was of great use and he only had to go back to his produce bin once when he had it.

Frodo bounced around the farm happily, without a care in the world. At the bottom of his farm, next to the henhouse, Jack had built a small area in which his chickens could run free during the day. Weeds dotted the landscape, growing back almost faster than he could spare the time to pick them.

Jack dumped the last of his harvest into the cooler and looked up to see Duke walking on to the farm with his fists clenched and his face as red as a beet. Jack smiled. "I'm surprised it took him this long."

Duke stormed up to Jack. "Who the hell do you think you are, coming in here and putting your nose in someone else's business like this?" He yelled.

Jack sighed and wiped his bandanna across his forehead. "Ah, I see you finally got wind of our little transaction."

"We don't have any kind of transaction." Duke yelled, waving his arms around, "That debt was between me and Jeff. You had no business going and paying it off!"

"Are you angry because I paid your debt?" Jack asked. "Or because you now have to pay ME back instead of forget about the debt entirely."

"I'M NOT PAYING YOU A DIME, YOU CROOK!"

"I'm a crook?" Jack cocked and eyebrow and stepped forward. "Who's the deadbeat who doesn't pay his debts off? How long was that debt outstanding? A year? Two years? Jeff worries himself sick over his bills while you sit mighty high on your little winery, making more money than he does and you have the gall to say "put it on my tab". I say you had this comin' and if you don't pay me back, I'll take it outta your hide!"

Duke stepped back, not wanting any part of Jack at the moment. "I'm taking this up with the mayor. You can't do this to me."

"I can and I have, now get off my farm!" Jack jabbed his finger at the exit and Duke left promptly. He sighed and turned in for the day. What he needed was a good quick dip in the hot springs to calm himself down. After all, Duke wasn't the only thing bothering him lately. The girls were starting to come around more often as well.

He promptly made his way up to the springs and changed in the small shack provided for just that reason. Slipping into the hot water, he sighed and relaxed. This was about the time of day that Popuri made her trip over to the farm, but he didn't feel like her at the moment. Nor did he feel like chatting it up with Karen at the farm or heading to the library with Mary. Seemed like every time he got around them, they gave him that big doe-eyed look and made him feel like he was being chased. Like he hadn't had enough of that already.

Life moved along, but it wasn't as grand as it could have been.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Jim Black stood outside the door of the office of Aaron St. Claire and listened for a moment. The CEO was yelling into the phone. "I know our profits are down, but why in the world do you think that is? No! It's Valentine. We're losing money because of him! Well, I'm handling that as I speak."

Jim knocked faintly and opened the door. Mr. St. Claire waved for him to come in. "I'll be in touch, Tim." He hung up the phone. "Mr. Black, it's been five months, I hope you have something to show for your efforts."

Jim Black settled into the leather armchair. "What I have is conclusive evidence that Mr. Jack Harris, aka Ace Valentine, is very good at covering his tracks."

St. Claire's face fell down. "You haven't found him?"

"I haven't found him. Mr. St. Claire, was there anything about him that seemed off just before his disappearance? Odd behavior?"

The CEO rubbed his chin. "Well, it was hard to even pin him down for more than a moment or two. Jack was always busy, always had something to do."

"Maybe a little too much."

"How so?"

Jim lit a cigarette. "Well, I heard he had two nervous breakdowns in the past five years."

"That's true. He was very stressed at some points."

"Maybe that's why he left." Jim blew some smoke into the air. Aaron St. Claire poured himself a drink. He offer one to Jim Black, but the PI declined. "I don't understand why he'd leave for that. I'd have given him as much time off as he wanted."

"The rest of his life? Would you have given him that?"

"Of course not! We need him!"

"Ah. I see. It's what I surmised. I think your main event player left, Mr. St. Claire, because he felt that he didn't have enough time off. He wanted more. He wanted to give it all up. Tell me something. How long did his contract have left before the loser-leaves-town match?"

"Three years, I believe."

"Was there any way out of that contract aside from the match?"

St. Claire shook his head. "Not a chance. Our contracts are iron-clad. No way out."

"Except the contract he had to sign for the loser-leaves-town match in which the losers' contract becomes null and void."

St. Claire gulped down his drink and poured another one. "What are you getting at?"

"I think he threw the match."

Aaron St. Claire's fingers failed him and the bottle he was holding fell down, shattering on the floor. He hardly noticed as he stared into the impassive eyes of Jim Black. "You can't be serious!"

"Think about it! He wants out. He can't get out, so he fabricates things so that the only way out of his contract is through that little loophole. He makes the match look good, like he's really trying, but when it comes down to the wire he lets himself get pinned and then gets out before anyone can say anything."

"He left." St. Claire said softly. "That's why he left. After that match, I mean. When the match was over and he got to the back, he went straight to his car and left. I thought he was ashamed of losing, but he was gone for a week and no one could find him." Aaron slammed his fist onto the desk. "That no-good dirty little...Mr. Black, I don't care how long it takes or how much money you need, you find Jack Harris and tell me where he is!"

Jim held out his hand. "There is the matter of my monthly fee. Finding Mr. Harris has proved to be...strenuous on my finances."

"How much?"

"Ten thousand. That should cover the whole summer." Jim Black smiled as Mr. St. Claire slapped about seven thousand dollars more than he really needed into his hand. Jim Black stuffed it into his pocket and went back out into his Lexus. Time to see just how he could find a man who didn't want to be found.

XxXxXxXxX

It was so easy to fall asleep in the hot springs. Jack did it on a regular basis and today was no exception. However, when he woke up he was usually alone. He heard the door to the changing hut close and he opened one eye lazily. He listened as someone fumbled around inside and eventually opened the second set of doors that opened out into the hot springs.

Karen gave a slight gasp as she opened the door and saw Jack lying inside. Jack felt a small smile creep onto his face. Karen wore a two piece bathing suit, purple on top and bottom and it showed off her figure very well—well enough that Jack was glad his bottom half was under water.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't know you were in here."

"Well, no sense in leaving now." Jack said, "Might as well slide on in."

Karen felt an odd look creep onto her face. If there was one rule that prevailed in her house and was set by her mother, it was the rules on boys. And of those rules, the one that stood out the most was the most important one, the one that her mother had impressed on her every since she was old enough to care about boys: NEVER get alone with a boy. At least, not until she was married and allowed to. But in that moment, she couldn't picture her mother chastising her; only Jack, shirtless and smiling, inviting her in.

Slowly she slid into the hot springs across from Jack with a long sigh. He sat back with his arms spread out wide. "Long day?"

"Tiring." Karen said, "This town...I swear. You know what I mean?"

"No." Jack said, closing his eyes and relaxed more. "I don't."

"Jeez, Jack. Come on, I mean this town is so out of touch with the world. I mean, there could be a war going out outside the city limits and we wouldn't know a thing about it. Doesn't that bother you?"

"There is no war going on or anything like that. It doesn't bother me at all. In fact, that's why I love this town so much. The outside world is full of crap, anyway. Why would you want to leave?"

Karen sighed and her head disappeared under the water for a second. She re- emerged with her hair wet and clinging to the side of her head. "Because...can I trust you to keep a secret?"

Jack shrugged. "Doesn't gain me anything to tell others."

Karen sighed. "I hate this town. I feel like I'm trapped. Like this village is sucking the soul out of me and that if I don't leave and leave soon, I'll be trapped here forever, having some guy's kids and being his wife while I sit around and wonder just what I could have done with my life outside this little village."

"Oh well." Jack sighed and looked at her and found something he wasn't expecting: expectation. He hoped she didn't have any ideas about him, because he was enjoying life in this sleepy little town where no one knew his name or his former life. "If you want that kind of thing so badly, just leave."

"I can't just leave." Karen said, "My dad just can't handle the store by himself. My mom is a slave-driving witch. She wouldn't let me leave if I were forty years old and married with five kids."

"Don't take her crap." Jack said.

Karen paused and looked at him. "You don't understand."

"Oh, I don't?" Jack said, raising his voice slightly. "You know my old man was a former Navy Seal? You know what he thought when I told him I wanted to be a..." Jack paused and suddenly realized what he was about to tell her. "Farmer. When I told him I wanted to take over my grandfather's farm, he flipped out and said there wasn't any future in it. But I didn't care what he said and I did it anyway. Here I am for the world to see."

"Y-your father...was a seal?"

"Yeah, pretty nice guy too, if you could ignore the lifetime of constant orders and barrage of 'be a man' comments." He laughed when he saw the odd look on Karen's face. "What?"

"I...I...How could...how could your father...how could he be a seal?"

Jack stared at her for a moment, dumb-founded, before exploding into laughter. He slapped the top of the water. "Oh man, Karen, you kill me! My dad wasn't a REAL seal, he was a Navy Seal." When she stared at him further, he elaborated. "Navy Seals. They're a branch of the Navy. A special fraction of their forces. They're trained to be the best of the best of the best. The training they put those guys through can be attributed more closely to torture, but they say if you can be a Seal, you can be anything."

"Oh." Karen said, feeling somewhat sheepish. "So your dad was in the Army. I see."

"No, not the Army. The Navy. That's how he met my mom. She was a barfly in north New York state. Helped pick him up off the floor when some Air Force boys hit him over the head with a stool."

Karen's favorite pastime seemed to be staring at Jack incredulously. "Who ARE you Jack Harris?"

"You answered your own question," Jack said, standing up and walking towards the changing hut. "I'm Jack Harris."

XxXxXxXxX

The week ended rather fruitlessly. His harvests were only a few days out from being ready. The final spring harvest was coming to a close and when he was done, it would only be a few weeks before summer rolled on in. Already the airs was feeling hotter, the cool breezes getting warmer, and the calming sounds of cicadas and crickets singing in the evening were becoming more and more profound.

Jack had just finished getting ready for his weekly trip to the Redwood Inn when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it up and found Harris, the mayor's son and Flowerbud's only police officer there. He didn't look very pleased at the moment. "Evening, Harris." Jack said, "What's up?"

"Jack, you need to come with me. The Village is being summoned right now. We're holding Court at the Inn and you need to be there." Harris said, tugging at his collar uncomfortably.

"Holding Court? What's that?" Jack asked.

"When disputes between two villagers get out of hand, the village holds Court and we determine the course of action to be taken. It's the law of the village."

"Oh." Jack could see where this was going. "And what's on the agenda for tonight? Let me take a wild guess: Duke is mad at me and thinks that a little Kangaroo Court will let him off the hook? I mean, why else would he get on the mayor's good side? Yeah, Harris, I heard about the bottle of his best wine that just happened to be given to Mayor Thomas as a gift."

"Er...well, I wasn't aware of that so much." Harris coughed nervously.

Jack smiled to himself. "Alright, Harris. Let's go down there. I've got a feeling this will be good." He left his cap at home and they made the fifteen-minute walk to the Redwood Inn. He pushed open the doors and found the Inn rearranged in a manner suited to what was happening. Everyone was there except for the younger kids, who were being watched by elderly Miss Ellen because these things sometimes tended to get out of hand between the two parties involved. (This was also the reason why Court wasn't held in the church).

The seats were all arranged next to each other so the entire village could sit in them with an unobstructed view of both parties. The Mayor sat at a table in front of the semi-circle of chairs. At the right side of the room was a single empty seat. Opposite it was Duke, sitting in a chair with his arms crossed—likewise, so was his face.

Jack took a seat in his chair and looked out at the villagers. Most of them looked rather disturbed to be present. Popuri smiled and waggled her fingers at Jack with a grin before Rick elbowed her in the side and told her to be serious. Jack found out later that this was the first time the village had held Court in nearly ten years, and that had also included Duke and his debts, but Duke had won that one. Harris stood next to Jack and Doug stood next to Duke, in case either of them decided to riled up enough to start a fight.

Mayor Thomas cleared his throat and stood up. "Well then, all the parties are present. Court is now officially open. This Court is being held for the, ah, dispute between our new farmer Jack and our village elder Duke."

"Jack, here when we hold Court, we give each member of the dispute one turn telling his side of the story. You can't talk over that person, but if you wish to refute something he said, I'll give you a chance to do that. After both sides have told their stories, you can decide on a course of action for your side, Duke does the same for himself, and then the village votes discretely on which side will win. Understand?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, it ain't exactly Judge Judy, but I get it."

The Mayor nodded and the turned to Duke. "Duke, would you like to start?"

Duke grinned smugly and stood up. "Yes, I would. I learned this week that when Jack first came to Flowerbud, he paid off my tab at the general store. What I found out this week was that he expects me to pay him back instead of Jeff. Of course, I don't think I should do that. The debt was between me and Jeff and Jack had nothing to do with it. I call it a gesture of good will."

Jack expected more, but Duke sat down and left it at that. Jack grinned on the inside. This was just too good to be true. A plan began to formulate in his mind. The Mayor turned to him and said, "Jack, it's your turn."

Jack stood up and held his arms behind his back, pacing back and forth a few times. He looked at Duke, whose smile had faded slightly as he watched Jack. The farmer looked to Jeff, who sat uncomfortably in his chair next to Karen and Sasha. Jeff was the key, he thought to himself.

Jack turned to Mayor Thomas. "I can ask questions, can't I?"

The Mayor nodded.

Jack sighed and stepped up to Duke. "Duke, you had a tab at the general store, am I right?"

"Yes." Duke said, looking oddly at Jack. This wasn't usually how things went during Court. Jack nodded at him and turned to pace away from him. "Alright, what's the procedure for getting a tab at the General Store?"

Duke looked confused. "What?"

"Maybe I'm asking the wrong person. Jeff," Jack's mention of him made the little man's head snap up suddenly. "I want to have a tab at your store, how do I go about it?"

"Uh...well...uh...I, uh..." Jeff stuttered. Karen looked to Jack, pleading with her eyes. Jack held up his hand. "It's okay, Jeff. I'll come back to you later, so just be ready. Karen, if I wanted a tab with the General Store, how would I get it?"

"You'd take what you wanted without paying." Karen said.

"How much can I run up my bill?" Jack asked, to which Karen merely shrugged. Jack held up his hands, "A thousand? Two thousand? Ten thousand? Hell, why don't I just own the General Store?"

Duke spoke up, "Is this going somewhere?"

"You had your turn to talk, Duke, so shut up unless I ask you something." That didn't settle too well with Duke, who sat up straight and sucked in a sharp breath in anger. Jack turned back to Karen. "So all I have to do to get a tab is to take something and not pay for it?"

"That's right." Karen said.

"And if I decided I didn't want to pay it back, then what?"

"We'd be right here." Karen said.

"Exactly." Jack said, grinning. "How long was Duke's bill outstanding?"

"He made his last payment sometimes last year." Karen said.

"How much was his payment?"

"Not nearly enough to clear his debt." Karen scoffed, looking to Duke.

"How long has he actually owed the General Store?" Jack asked. Karen didn't answer right away. Jeff tugged at his collar nervously, looking up to Duke. Sasha, silent until now, spoke up, "Duke has always owed the General Store. He owed them when I first married Jeff and he has owed us to the day Jack paid his debt."

Jack turned to Duke. "Is that right, Duke?"

"I don't see where this is going." Duke said.

Jack scoffed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Well, it IS going somewhere and that is the to conclusion that you are a free-loading bum! Duke, could I have a bottle of wine?"

Duke laughed. "Of course, Jack."

"I mean that literally. Can I HAVE a bottle of wine? Not the young crap, I want the good stuff. I hear '79 was a good your for you, the best year you've ever had. So good, you gave the Mayor a bottle of it earlier this week." There was an uncomfortable silence in the air in which everyone cast an accusing look at Duke, who shifted uncomfortably. "So how about it, Duke? Can I just HAVE a bottle of wine?"

"No, you have to pay for it." Duke said.

"Why?" Jack asked.

"Why?" Duke laughed hard. "Why in the world should I let you have free wine?"

"What if I agreed to pay you later?"

"What, do you think I'm that stupid. Only an idiot would do something like...that..." Duke's sentence slid off the edge of the earth when he realized what he'd just said. He could just feel Sasha and Karen burning a hole in the side of his head with their eyes. "Look, my winery is different than Jeff's General Store."

"How?" Jack asked, spreading his arms out wide.

"I have bills to pay."

"So does Jeff."

"But that's different."

"I don't understand. How is it different?" Jack asked. "Is it because Jeff isn't as important as you? Are his bills easier to pay than yours?"

"Well, I don't suppose."

Jack turned to Jeff. "Jeff, how far in debt are you?"

Jeff swallowed. "A good ways."

"What'd you do with the money I gave you to cover Duke's tab?"

"Well, I paid off the loan we took out to build the store room."

"Does that make your life easier?"

Jeff smiled. "Oh yes! Now we can make the mortgage payment on time for a change!"

"If I hadn't give you that money, what would have happened?"

"I'd have to borrow money from someone so my store wouldn't be closed." Jeff said.

Jack nodded and stepped back to look at all the other villagers. "Can't have the General Store closed down, now can we? Too important to do away with, isn't that right, Duke?"

Duke choked off a harsh laugh. "Come on, Jack. This doesn't have any meaning at all. I mean, I'm not the only one who has a debt to Jeff."

"No, but you're the only one who had one that was worth two thousand dollars." The statement earned a sharp gasp from the other villagers, who had no idea how much Duke had owed. Jack had counted on this.

Jack clasped his hands behind his back and walked back and forth as he talked. "The day I learned of Duke's dept, I knew when kind of a person Duke is: a free-loading bum. You see, he takes, but he doesn't give. He thinks highly of his own troubles, but not the troubles of the people who should be his friends. He doesn't live by the same rules he preaches. I saw this man," He gestured to Jeff, "In need and I stepped in and I didn't pay off Duke's debts, I merely made his debt to Jeff a debt to _me_."

"Jeff, as you all can see, can't afford to just give his things away. He needs them just like any of us need them, but that doesn't concern Duke. No, he'd rather take now and pay later. In this case, he lets the debt stand for at least sixteen years, if what Sasha says is true. Where I come from, we call people like that free-loading bums. Now, I can afford to go without the money, so I put the debt to me. Duke, however, doesn't think he should pay me. I say he should and he should do it as quickly as he can. I don't like free-loading bums trying to give me the shaft while the hard-working people of this village suffer from his incompetence, despite the fact that Duke earns the highest wages in the entire village."

Jack walked through the awfully tense silence and sat in his chair. He smiled at Mayor Thomas, "I rest my case."

Duke's face was beet red. The Mayor asked him if he wanted to refute what Jack said. Duke shook his head, but stared at Jack.

Mayor Thomas cleared his throat and stood up. "Well then. Duke, what would you like done in your favor?"

"I don't want to pay Jack a dime."

"What a surprise." Jack said aloud. Duke jumped to his feet and Jack rose slowly as Harris and Doug stood in front of them. Jack wasn't especially afraid of Duke...or Harris or Doug, but it'd been a while since he'd put fist to face and welcoming it back would be something of a delight to him.

Mayor Thomas turned to Jack. "Jack, if the village counts in your favor, what would you like to settle the dispute?"

"My two thousand dollars. In full!"

"I don't have that kind of money!" Duke said. Jack stared at him, but Duke didn't phase. "I don't. I really don't! All my money comes in during the fall selling, when I sell my wines on the mainland. I live off that money for the whole year! I don't have two thousand to spare, I'd go broke before the summer was over!"

"Alright then, I've got a better idea." Jack said, "If the village votes in my favor, I get two thousand dollars worth from your wine cellar and I pick them all out myself." A blanch look crossed Duke's face as he swallowed hard and audibly. Jack set himself back down in his chair. The Mayor set a box with a slit at the top on front of him with several pieces of paper and a pencil in front of the box.

One by one the villagers—except for Jack and Duke—made their way to the box, filled out who they were in favor of and put the paper in the box. It took the better part of ten minutes, but finally the votes were inside. He called for Harris, Gotz, and Pastor Carter to be the three witnesses to the counting of the vote. Mayor Thomas counted them, but didn't claim out loud who had the most votes. At the end he tallied them up on a piece of paper and looked to his three witnesses, who nodded that they understood.

Mayor Thomas stood up and looked at Jack and Duke. "The village has spoken in Jack's favor. Duke, it's the village's decision that you fulfill your end of the decision and do as Jack asks. Two thousand dollars worth of wine from your cellar."

Duke sighed and put his face in his hands. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Jack, who stared him in the face and said, "I'll pick up my wine in three days, after I'm finished with my final spring harvest." And with that Jack left the Inn and walked back to his farm.

When Jack got to his farm, he heard the sound of running feet. He looked back to see Karen running up to him. She stopped only when she had run completely into him and thrown her arms around him. She gave him a happy kiss on the cheeks. "Oh Jack! You're my hero! I can't believe what you just did. You know, everybody was ready to crucify you for paying off Duke's debt, but you turned around nearly the entire village. How did you do all that with the questions and stuff?"

Jack shrugged. "I watched a lot of Law & Order. Er, never mind. Let's just say Duke's gonna pay for a lot more than what he originally thought. I'm just glad I could help you and your dad out." He grunted. "Now, I just need you to stop choking me."

"Sorry." Karen said, letting herself down, "If there's ever anything you need, just ask me."

"Well, hard to do that since you want to leave Flowerbud so badly." Jack said.

Karen put a smile on her face and gave him a playful punch on the arm. "Watch it. Keep doing things like this and I might want to stay. Good Night." She walked back to her home behind the General Store and Jack watched her go.

"Jack," He told himself, "I think that girl is falling for you. The question is: am I falling for that girl?"

Then, in an oddly surreal moment, Jack answered himself, "Well, which girl would that be?"

It was, he surmised, an answer for another day.


	9. Strawberries in the Meadow

CHAPTER NINE: "STRAWBERRIES IN THE MEADOW"

The Spring Harvest, as it turns out, came sooner than Jack expected. It was only three days later that the last of his Spring vegetables had popped up. According to Rick's reckoning, if he went one day over the seasonal change with his crops still in the ground, they'd spoil practically overnight and would be practically worthless. Jack was thankful for being so good with math as he had researched one of Mary's books to find out exactly how long each thing he planted took to grow. Combined with that knowledge, he set out and managed to get in two good harvests before Spring turned to Summer.

Summer was a week away. It was a week he would need in order to do what he had planned since the night he had won Court: sell Duke's wine to the richest sucker...er, that is the highest bidder, he meant. The morning after Court, he went to the only phone in town inside the Redwood Inn. Dialing his dad's cellphone, he left only a cryptic message. "Need the CS." It was short for Chevy Silverado, which was the old truck he had driven to Flowerbud. He sincerely hoped he hadn't sold it, but his dad answered, "Good to go. Three days."

So here it was three days later and Jack had plans. He shoved his harvest in his basket and brought them down to the docks, where he kicked on Jack's door. The big man opened and laughed, "Hey, Jack! What's up? Come to say good-bye before I leave for the mainland this afternoon?"

"Not exactly." Jack said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Listen, I wanted to drop off my last Spring Harvest before you went."

"Sure, no problem." Zack took the produce in and tallied up the cost of it all. Jack helped by putting the turnips, cukes, and potatoes in the right boxes. "I'll have to help you load these later, okay?"

"Why?" Zack handed Jack a nice stack of bills, which Jack stuffed into his pocket. "Because, I have to ride with you to the mainland. You go to the mainland every week at this day and time, right?"

Zack nodded.

"Well, I want you to drop me off. I'll be back in one week to get picked up by you then, okay?"

Zack shrugged. "Hey man, no problem. Er, can I ask what yer gonna do on the mainland?"

Jack just grinned as he headed for the door. "Oh, the usual: make money, knock heads, roll around with loose women."

"What kind of drugs do YOU take when you go home at night?" Zack said loudly, to his and Jack's amusement. Jack was still laughing when he passed the church. He made his way through the center of town, stopping only to chat for a moment with Ann, and then proceeded to the Aja Winery, where he entered to a cold reception from Duke and Anna. The only thing colder than those two would have been a room full of Jack's seven ex- girlfriends. Jack didn't much have to say why he was there, but he did anyway. "I'm here for MY wine." He scoffed. "Let's see it."

Duke didn't grumble, but neither did he go too fast as he led Jack outside to the opening of the wine cellar. Jack entered the smell of close air and dust, of musty wood and old grapes. He passed the standing mounds of wine and wondered for a minute what the wine being prepared would be worth in eighty or so years.

The wine rack lined both walls and was arranged by date. Obviously, the dustier ones were the oldest and, consequently, the best and most expensive. Duke pointed to them. "They're all appraised at the start of every year and they remain that price throughout the whole year, regardless of what you say or do. Now, I've got all these priced, so you should have no problem getting two thousand dollars worth."

Jack eyed the bottles. Prices ranged from five dollars to five hundred. The most expensive was a century old bottle. Jack examined it and whistled. It wasn't priced, but it was over a hundred years old. "How much for this one?"

Duke promptly snatched it out of his hands. "It's not for sale."

Jack put his hand on his hip and shook a finger. "Now, Duke. The Court said I could have my choice of your wine rack."

"And I tell you again, THIS bottle of wine is not for sale. It's from the first year the winery was founded, laid down by my great-grandfather. It's one of the first bottles he made, so it's NOT for sale."

Jack held up his hands. "Alright, fair enough. Get my some of those plastic crates. I'm going to make some choices here." Duke did as Jack asked and soon Jack was pulling out wine bottles left and right. Duke had hoped Jack would be stupid and pull some of the older ones off, perhaps five or six of the most expensive bottles. Duke knew he made his best cash with a combination of older and semi-old bottles. Also, he knew the dustiest ones were actually bad years for him and thus the wine was just as bad.

Unfortunately for Duke, Jack seemed to know just what the hell he was doing. He managed not to grab a single bottle from a bad years and got just what Duke would have pulled: the combination of old and semi-old- Even a few cheap, new bottles that would age on his shelf for years to come. All in all, Jack ended up with thirty-something bottles of Aja Wine. And Duke ended up with a red face, because when he saw all that Jack was leaving with, he suddenly realized Jack had managed to snag most of the wine he had intended to sell at the end of summer. Jack had unknowingly nearly wiped him out.

Examining the bottles, Duke tallied up their cost and felt a small relief. "Well, Jack, you have twenty-five hundred worth of wine here. Better put some back."

"Not exactly." Jack said, digging into his pocket. "I wanna buy these anyway." He handed Duke the extra five hundred and Duke's red face eased a little. Jack grinned at Duke and slapped his shoulder. "Thanks a lot, Duke. Consider your debt repaid."

Duke scoffed.

Jack had to borrow Duke's dolly to carry three plastic crates of wine out. He made his way to his farm at about lunchtime, where he put the crates just inside his home and began packing a week's worth of clothes. He didn't intend to see anyone except who he needed to see, so he was sure he'd be living out of his truck.

Of course, it wouldn't have been the first time that had happened.

He finished packing his stuff when there was a knock at the door. He opened it up and found Popuri on the other side with a slightly bashful look on her face. "Hi, Jack."

"Hey, Pinkie." Jack said.

Popuri giggled. "Don't call me that. It's stupid."

Jack noticed the wicker basket in her hands. "What this for?"

"Oh." Popuri grinned widely. "I thought you might be hungry. It IS lunchtime, after all. Soooo, I packed us some lunch and thought we might have a picnic."

"A picnic?" Jack said, almost disgusted. He paused. A picnic. Something he would normally have reserved for kids and girls, but that was in the mindset of his former alter ego. Come to think of it he WAS hungry and it WAS a nice day. By God, he hadn't been on a picnic since he was thirteen. He smiled and nodded. "Yeah.. A picnic. That sounds just about right." He flipped his cap on backwards and shut the door behind him. "Where are we having it?"

"How about the meadow on Mother's Hill?" She asked, even more bubbly and cheerful than before now that Jack was going with her. The two of them strolled slowly down the side of his land and then across the bridge, up the trail, past the hot springs, past the lake where Jack stopped to skip a stone, over the log bridge that scared Jack every time he set foot on it, and finally to a peaceful meadow full of flowers in the late bloom of Spring, the mid-day singing of bugs and bees, a few butterflies. The whole scene was so peaceful and serene.

Popuri spread out the old fashioned red-and-white blanket and began to set their food out. Nothing more picnic-ish than some sandwiches, chips, and some sweetened ice tea. Jack devoured two sandwiches in no time and surprised Popuri by showing her his habit of eating his chips ON his sandwich, which he insisted was good, but she had her doubts.

For dessert, she pulled out a small pint of strawberries, which Jack hadn't eaten in forever. "Man, I love these things." Jack said, grabbing one. "And you even cut the tops off. Thanks, Popuri."

"Thank you." She said, lowering her face to her strawberry so Jack didn't see her face, which was attaining the same color as her strawberries. Jack laughed and popped one in his mouth, munching joyfully. "What made you want to do this?"

"I just thought it might be nice." She said, biting into one of hers. "I just love picnics. Especially in the Spring when things are so cool."

"Yeah, and everything smells nice and fresh." Jack said, inhaling deeply. He finished off the last of his strawberries and looked at Popuri. A she put the last one in her mouth he had the sudden flash of feeding her one. That vision shifted slightly and suddenly he saw himself with a strawberry in his mouth when Popuri came up slowly and bit off half, taking it for herself. Jack suddenly had to sit cross-legged.

After finishing off their strawberries (And while Jack waited so he could sit straight again), they packed up all but their blanket and they laid down and stared up at the sky, watching as clouds rolled by. Jack sighed happily as he laid his cap beside him. He looked to the right and said, "Thanks, Popuri. I haven't had a day like this since I was a kid."

"Oh, it's my pleasure." Popuri said, "I just like doing things for people I like."

"So you like me?" Jack quipped.

"Well, what I meant was, you know, like as in 'like-as-a-friend' and...you know? I mean, everybody here likes you, Jack." She stammered.

Jack chuckled. "Yeah. I know. Of course, I don't think Duke would agree with you."

Popuri stuck out her tongue. "Duke's mean anyway. He got what he deserved."

Jack grinned to himself. "Well, I don't think you've gotten what you deserve."

Popuri frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that saying 'thank you' isn't much of a thanks." Jack propped himself up with his elbows. Popuri watched him as he rolled onto his side and suddenly propped his top half above her, staring down at her. Popuri at that moment looked and felt very small compared to him as he seemed to dwarf her. She merely kept a meek look on her face as he lowered his head down until he finally met her in a kiss.

Popuri inhaled sharply and her whole body seemed to tense suddenly, as if a thousand volts were suddenly coursing through her. That was also what she felt like-her body tingled, her fingers felt numb, her head swam and her mind flew in a thousand directions and felt a thousand emotions all at once. Too shocked to even think, she only whimpered softly once as Jack kissed her for the first time-for her first time.

It wasn't long, only a few seconds, but Popuri lived for a lifetime in that one wonderful moment.

When Jack pulled away, it felt like the life had suddenly drained out of her, but she opened her eyes and stared up at him. She sucked in a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Staring up at him, she said, "You're welcome."

Jack sat back up and helped her to her own feet. There was no holding the dark red flush on her face now. Neither was there any holding back the warm smile on her face. Jack licked his lips, reveling the taste of strawberries on his lips. It'd been a long, long time since he'd locked lips with ANY girl. But, he mused, Popuri didn't look like she'd try to stab him in the forehead with a fork, so he guess she was safe to kiss- even if it was friendly.

At times when there didn't seem to be any shutting her up, the kiss certainly seemed to work because Popuri had little else to say. They packed up the blanket and headed back down Mother's Hill. It was getting late in the afternoon and Jack knew he had to be off. On the way down the mountain, he walked next to Popuri. Every other step he felt her hand brush against his in an age old subliminal message. He got the hint and on the next swing of her hand he took it into his. They walked hand-in-hand all the way to his farm.

When they got to his door, she asked him, "What're you doing tonight? I'd like to invite you over for supper. Mom's making some pot roast."

"Thanks, Popuri, but I have to get going. I'm going to the mainland and I'll be gone for a week."

"A week!" Popuri said, shocked. "Why?"

"Got business with Duke's wine."

"What're you gonna do."

Jack grinned. "I'm gonna sell it. And I'm gonna make more money than Duke ever would with his own wine."

"I wish I had know." She said, "I'd have made a going-away package for you."

"Don't bother. I'll be alright. I've got enough money to eat on." He paused and resisted the temptation to french her, as was his custom when parting with a girl. Instead, he bent down and embraced her tightly. "Hey, thanks for the picnic. I really enjoyed it."

Popuri turned her head and kissed him on the cheek lightly. "Any time, Jack. You wanna do this when you get back? I'll make it really super- special."

"Sounds great. Hey, I'll bring you something from the mainland." He said. "What do you like?"

"Flowers." She answered truthfully.

Jack laughed. "Well, you can find flowers ANYWHERE, but I'll see what I can do." He let go of her and grabbed his bag and the dolly of wine. He walked her home and they parted at the road with a friendly wave. Popuri walked inside and her mother saw the look on her face. "Why do you look so cheerful?"

"Oh, nothing." Popuri fibbed. She went straight up to her room and shut the door. The rapid stepping of feet told her mother exactly what had happened.

Popuri was dancing in circles and she only did that when she was in love with a boy.

XxXxXxXxX

As the afternoon settled and the sky started going orange, Jack loaded his wine and bag onto the ferry as Zack started up the engine. He helped get the cargo on and soon they were off. Jack watched Flowerbud disappear into the horizon and felt a sinking in his heart. Maybe it was because he felt that leaving the town would burst his bubble, that the world would find him again. A fake mustache, sunglasses, and cap were all he had to disguise himself and it would have to do. Eventually, he settled on the reason that made the most sense:

He loved Flowerbud.

And he didn't want to leave it.


	10. The Jobber

CHAPTER TEN: "THE JOBBER"

The truck was there just like he thought knew it would be. It was the middle of the freakin' night when the ferry pulled up to the mainland. Reason being that the crews alternated between night and day shifts depending on the season. Summer was a night shift season and though the season hadn't started yet, Zack and the supply crews were anxious to get a start on the season.

Jack had more than enough time to sell Duke's wine: a whole week. He stayed behind and helped unload the stacks of crates. Manual labor was always something that felt rewarding to him. He stayed for the two hours it took to unload and then re-load the ferry. Finally, he and Zack clasped hands and bid each other farewell. Jack drove off down the road. It was a long, twenty-mile long dirt road with nothing but nothing. Only the dirt road and the woods on both sides. Finally, he hit a black top road and pulled off. Fifty miles through a veritable flat lands. Woods on one side of the road and crop fields on the other. Those farms made his look like a garden, but he tried not to think about it.

It was after hours of driving that he finally reached civilization: Village Cote. It was a small rural town whose hub was, of all things, a bingo hall, which sat next to the only gas station in town and a small motel. He wearily parked his truck and got out. Tucking his fake mustache into place and keeping his hat low, he went inside and paid for some gas. As soon as he filled it up, he pulled it into the parking lot of the hotel. At least tonight, he'd have a warm bed to sleep in. Walking up to the counter, he looked up and found his own face staring back at him. He snarled to himself, "Crap!"

There, hung behind the counter for all to see, was a massive poster of himself as Ace Valentine, heads held high with the AWF championship belt in his arms. It was from his first title win, a proud moment, he thought as he reflected on the moment, but not exactly what he wanted to encounter. He heard a TV in the back room behind the counter and heard someone coming. He swore and turned to leave, but he heard someone say, "Can ah help y'all?"

He cursed under his breath and paused, then turned around with his head down low, lifting his eyes to look at the young girl. "Ah, nothing. Sorry."

"Darlin', y'all wanna room, that's fine. Ah was up anyway. We're havin' a big bout in the bingo hall next door an' the local TV station is runnin' it. Ah DID wanna go, but the durn tickets were sold out, so ah'm watchin' it on mah TV." She spoke with such a thick accent, Jack almost laughed. She had the whole hot farmer's daughter thing going on with some short blue jean shorts and a red-and-white dotted shirt tied about the mid-drift. Of all the things in the world, she even had pigtails and freckles.

"A bout?" Jack asked, adding a slight rasp to his voice to help disguise it, "Boxing?"

"Rasslin'!" She said, "Bout the only thang we HAVE around here fer fun: pig rasslin', gater rasslin', steer rasslin'."

"What kind of rasslin's on now?" Jack asked, curious.

"Oh, jest normal rasslin'. Big bout t'night. Real bona fide international stars tonight: The Juice vs Julius Kaiser." Jack's head lifted up when he heard that name. His old rival and one-time tag team partner, Julius Kaiser was in town, was he? How odd. Jack had the empty thought of going into the backstage and seeing his old rival, but then thought better of it. He and Kaiser had parted on good terms. Their last bout had ended in a bloody mess with Jack being the winner only through sheer animal will to throw his limp arm over Kaiser's prone form for a thankful three count.

So Jack was the victor at the end of their bloody feud. When it was all over and the crowd was gone, Jack recalled limping out to the parking lot and finding Julius leaning against his car. They were both bandaged up. Kaiser had his head wrapped up and a swollen jaw and right eye. Jack had his arm in a sling and a bad limp. Julius held out his hand and Jack shook it. "You're the man now, Jack. Go show the world what you're made of."

The girl in front of him snapped her fingers. "Hay, Mister."

Jack shook his head. "Huh?"

"Looky, it's gettin' pretty late anyway and mah match is goin'. Gimmie fifteen dollars and y'all can have room 3-16 fer the rest of the night."

"Deal." Jack tossed a twenty to her. "Keep the change."

"Thanks, mister." She flung the keys at him and he had to raise his arms to catch it. The girl saw his face for a moment and then turned around. She spied the Ace poster and paused. Spinning around, she only caught his hind end as he walked out the door. She turned again and looked up at the poster, then shook her head. "Mus' be me." She rushed back into her back room to finish watching the match.

Jack walked outside and heard the roar of the crowd inside the bingo hall. Yeah, he could have strolled in there and gave it a look. He missed the old days of cramped, sweaty bodies, deafening drunken crowds crying for blood, and sharing a single hotel room with four other guys.

Well, maybe not that last one.

Too easy for someone to spot him in the crowd. If he got made with a whole crowd around him, it'd start a riot. If he strolled into the backstage, he'd get questioned for being there unless they knew who he was. His hiding would be compromised then. Best to just let it be. He opened his room and then locked it behind him and then fell onto the bed.

XxXxXxXxX

It's funny how life moves late at night when you seem to be the only thing that's awake in the world. That's how Karen felt as she got out of bed and rolled into the kitchen in her purple nightie at close to two in the morning. She sighed as she used her keen night vision to bang her toe on at least every corner she passed and struggled to open the door. She pulled out the jug of milk and poured a mug for herself. She tucked it into the microwave to warm it up.

She sat at the island in the middle of the kitchen, firmly seated on a stool. As soon as her milk was warmed, she took it out and stirred it with a spoon. Only the soft light of the lightbulb above the stove lit up the kitchen. She sighed and sipped lightly from the mug. She couldn't sleep very well and she was up late at night.

The sound of footfalls caught her attention and Karen looked up to see her mother walking into the kitchen in her own nightie. She just finished pulling her hair into a bun and saw Karen sitting at the island. "Karen, are you alright?"

"Yeah, mom. I'm not sleepy. What about you?"

Sasha opened the freezer and pulled out a small carton of ice cream. "I woke up with a craving."

"Maybe you're pregnant, Mom." Karen joked. Suddenly, she saw a hurt look in her mother's eyes—a hurt look that was instantly swallowed by her stern glare. "Karen, you're too young to be thinking about that."

Karen furrowed her brow. "About what?"

"Sex. You're too young for that."

Karen shrugged. "Mom, I was joking. Besides, I wasn't talking about sex, I was talking about pregnancy."

"And what do you think causes that? It isn't holding hands. I don't want you talking about any of that yet."

"Mom, I'm seventeen. It's not like I don't know what goes on in the bedroom. I mean, I'm not standing on the other side of the door or anything, but I'm not stupid either."

"I told you I don't want you talking about it!" Sasha snapped. "You're too young!"

"I never brought it up, you did!" Karen snapped back. "I'm not a baby, mom. What's wrong with you?"

Sasha's jaw twitched as she tensed it and finally she lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Karen. I've been worried about you lately." Finally, Sasha began to scoop ice cream into two bowls. "You've been changing."

"How have I been changing?" Karen asked.

"You know how we've tried to keep up your spirits? Seeing Pastor Carter and all that?" She asked. Karen suddenly knew what she was talking about and nodded. "Well, it seems that since Jack moved here, you've improved. I've noticed that you hang around him a great deal and—."

"And you think I'm having sex with Jack?"

Sasha scoffed and put the ice cream back up. "Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind."

"Oh, mother!" Karen sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Don't 'Oh, mother' me, young lady. I've seen the way you look at Jack. I've seen his type before and I don't care for him. I've know the kind of man Jack will be. I knew someone once who was just like him."

"Was it Duke?" Karen asked. Suddenly, Sasha dropped her spoon and tried to gather it before it hit the floor. She stared at Karen, who calmly spooned some ice cream into her mouth. Sasha's mouth dropped. "How did you know about that?"

Karen suddenly shrank into herself. "I...I used to read your old diaries when I was younger. B-but that's what you're talking about, right? You and Duke. You used to be an item, right?"

"No!" Sasha slapped her fist onto the counter. "There was never anything between me and Duke!"

"That's not what you wrote in—."

SLAP!

Karen recoiled against her mother's strike. She felt her stinging cheek and stared open-mouthed at her mother, who seethed with anger, her nostrils flaring and her face going red. "How DARE you? Those are MY memories, not yours! What gives you the right?"

"Mom, I was seven!" Karen gasped, feeling tears well up in her eyes and spill down her cheeks. She sniffled once and that was all it took to snap Sasha back to earth to realize what she had done. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Karen. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, please forgive me!"

Karen returned the embrace. "I'm sorry, too, mom. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"Honey, please do us both a favor and forget anything you have ever read in my diaries. Eighteen years ago, I had a choice: what my body told me and what my heart told me. I chose my heart and here you stand as proof of that. Would you have me go the other way? I've seen the look in your eyes, Karen. You look at Jack the same way I used to look at...that other man. I don't think your heart is telling you what's right, I think you're following your body and that's the wrong way. It's not a path you want to take. I've talked with Manna and as happy a face as she puts on, I can assure you their marriage isn't nearly as glamorous as it once was—if in fact it ever was a glamorous one."

Karen sighed and looked down at her ice cream. It was melting. She spooned some up as she suddenly the two of them heard more footfalls and Jeff came walking into the kitchen in his boxers and a white shirt, yawning. "Hey, what's going on, you two? Ice cream?"

Sasha stared at Jeff for a second and smiled sweetly, pulling her husband closely to her. "It sure is, honey. Ice cream. We couldn't sleep, so we're eating ice cream. Care to join us?" She smiled sweetly and gave him a small kiss on the lips. He smiled and shrugged.

"Sure. No harm in a little ice cream." He kissed her back and stepped out of her arms to fetch himself a bowl. Sasha turned to Karen with a genuine smile on her face and suddenly Karen understood just what her mother was talking about when she said about following her heart.

Suddenly, Karen felt very, very small inside the small world she lived in.

XxXxXxXxX

It took Jack nearly three days to reach his destination: a high class estate in the middle of practically nowhere. A rich man who happened to be a fan of his and someone he could trust owned it: One Mr. Justin Bradsaw. He was a rich Texan who owned so many oil fields it wasn't even funny. He lived by himself with a few butlers.

Once on the estate, Jack drove up and was greeted by the burly, fat old Texan. He falsely threatened Jack with bodily harm and then howled as Jack lifted him off the ground. Jack and Bradshaw went back to his career in the minor feds and what-not. There was, to his knowledge, no bigger fan of his than Justin Bradshaw. The two were close friends for many years.

Jack stayed only one night in Bradshaw's sprawling mansion. The oil millionaire wanted to paint the town red and get absolutely plastered, but Jack didn't want any of it. He explained that he didn't have long to stay and that he wanted to sell him some Aja wine. Bradshaw was more than interested and gladly accepted the crates, which he paid Jack handsomely for.

Jack left the next day and made Bradshaw swear one thing.

"Don't tell anyone I was here. No one, Justin."

"Well, shoot, son! Why not?"

"I'm hiding out."

"Son, I thought you were getting ready for a comeback." Justin's face blanched as he set his hands on the door of the truck, leaning in to get closer to Jack. "I told everyone that. Believed it myself!"

Jack smiled. "Good. Keep telling them that. Justin, I'm not coming back."

Bradshaw laughed for a minute, but then stopped. "By God, son, you're serious, aren't you?"

Jack nodded. "As serious as a heart attack. Ace Valentine is gone, Justin. Dead and gone. I'm just Jack now and I always will be."

"Well, Just Jack, I'll be seein' ya later. Same time next year?"

"I'll be here." Jack said. "Save a bottle of wine for me."

"Not a chance, son! Not a chance!" Justin laughed and clasped hands with Jack again before Jack finally pulled away and went back the way he came. Justin just sighed as he watched his friend leave. "Hot dawg!" He said, "That's means his autographs will be worth a small fortune in ten years! Better lock em' up in the safe."

XxXxXxXxX

It was a day long detour, but Jack decided to go against the warning in his gut and pass through his old hometown and see his parents. There was only one stop he made before that and that was to withdraw an extra $5000 from his account. He hoped it would throw some of the people looking for him off by making them think he was still in town.

After that, he headed for home. He went through the neighborhood at night and made sure there was someone home, which there was. It was almost eleven at night and he only had two days to get back to his rendezvous with the ferry. He couldn't stay long and it meant he couldn't sleep while driving for two days straight. He couldn't stay longer than a week or else someone might find him. He drove slowly past the house, relived to find that no one was in front of it and that a light was still on. He parked on the street behind the house and crept through the shadows until he reached the back door.

Looking inside, he saw his mother in her nightgown. She was a tall, thin woman with long waves of black and silver hair. She was the only one who had supported him when he had decided to be a pro wrestler—especially when his father decided against it. (Of course, she was able to hold that over her husband's head that she had been right about his life-long decision)

He tapped softly on the glass so as not to scare her, but she jumped anyway. She looked out in surprise and when she recognized the face of her only child, she broke into a large beaming grin and dashed towards the glass door. She tossed it open and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He lifted her off the ground as he hugged her back. She ran back into the kitchen and called into the living room, "Honey, it's Jack! He's here!"

Jack's father came into the kitchen and smiled when he saw Jack. The two of them embraced tightly as a father and son do. "Good to see ya, boy. Didn't know you were in town."

"I didn't call. Thought I might expose myself." Jack sighed. His dad ruffled his short hair. "Come on, what is this? Where's that hippie hair you said you'd never get rid of?"

"Cut it off. No one's ever seen me without my hair before so I figured it was the best thing to do." Jack and his parents went into the living room and sat down for a long talk.

XxXxXxXxX

Jim Black snorted and woke up, gazing around sleepily. He'd fallen asleep after trying to stay on watch at the Harris home. He looked idly at the house and noticed that a light was on. The clock read 12:35 am. Maybe Jack's parents were just up having a late snack. He saw a few shadows through the living room drapes, but nothing he could make out. That mysterious phone call that had been made almost a week ago hadn't been traceable, but it had set off an alarm. Then Jack's parents had disappeared for three days.

So here he was, in the middle of the night and sleeping in his car to see if Ace Valentine would show up. Despite being tired, he decided to stay up a bit just in case. If Ace were going to show up, this is when it would happen, during the late hours. No way Valentine would dare show his face during the day.

XxXxXxXxX

"Things have been kind of chaotic since you left." His father explained. "When I say everyone's been looking for you, I mean everyone. They have actual search parties put together for the express purpose of locating you. It's actually become a sort of hobby now. Private citizens have put out a bounty on your head to find where you are."

"Well, if they manage to find me in Flowerbud, I deserve to be caught. That place is almost as bad as Gilligan's Island. One phone, one General Store, the ferry is the only access to the village, and I have the only TV or radio for twenty miles around. It's paradise. No one's even aware of the existence of Ace Valentine. Around there, I'm just Jack Harris."

"So what made you leave?" His mother asked.

Jack leaned back in the leather chair and sighed, running his hands through his greasy, unwashed hair. "I had a debt to settle. I had to sell something to someone and I decided to come by here. I have to get back, though, in two days. The summer is starting and I need to get out and get planting if I want to get three summer harvests in before the fall comes."

"Wow," His dad said, surprised, "You've really settled into being a farmer, haven't you?"

"It's alright." Jack shrugged. "I like the calm nature, the open space, the fresh air and no pressure to do ANYTHING at all. Some days when I get done watering the crops I just sit back against my apple tree and take a nap or go fishing at the creek."

Jack's dad smiled. "Well, your grandfather loved that farm. It was his whole life. I'm glad to see you doing the same thing, son."

"Now tell me this, Jack." His mother said, "Have you met any nice country girls out there?"

"Dana!" Jack's father snapped, "Don't go on with all that again. Leave the boy alone."

"Is it too much to ask that at my age I can hope for grandchildren. I have a right to know. Jack, have you met anyone?"

Jack got to his feet and half-smiled. "Well, I've met a couple of girls, but I don't think that you'll be getting grand-kids anytime soon, mom." He walked over to the window and split the drapes, staring out at the houses across the street. He narrowed his eyes and shut the drapes again. "Dad, have the Andersons moved out?"

"No."

"Did Barry finally decide to get a car?"

Jack's father laughed. "Don't be ridiculous! You know that man thinks cars are for wimps. He hasn't owned anything besides a truck in his entire life."

Jack sighed deeply. "I think I need to leave."

"Why?" His father got up and moved over to the window, staring out at the black Lexus in the Anderson's driveway. He swore loudly. "I bet it's that IRS guy again. I never forgot him."

"What IRS guy?"

"Oh, he couldn't have been the IRS. You took care of your taxes quite a while ago, but that's what he said he was. That blasted PI, I'd wager. Keeping an eye out for you, no doubt."

"Are you sure your phone wasn't traced or anything?"

"Don't have to. We were gone bringing you the truck, so he must have gotten suspicious." Jack's father, Kevin, merely snorted. "Okay, you've got to clear out of here. I've got a plan, Jack."

XxXxXxXxX

Jim Black sat alert in his Lexus. A few minutes ago he had seen two men at the window to the house and he KNEW there was only Valentine's parents inside. Therefore, who was this second male that had suddenly showed up in the middle of the night? He kept watching the light in the living room. It was still on and he sincerely hoped that they were inside. The next person to drive a vehicle away from the house was his man.

BAM!

Jim covered his face as his driver's side window suddenly burst in. He looked out the window in shock at the baseball bat that had done in his window. Suddenly, the massive hands of an ex-Navy Seal reached in and grabbed Jim Black's collar and hauled him out in one smooth jerk. Jim hit the pavement and found himself staring up at Kevin Harris holding a baseball bat and wearing his long pajamas and white undershirt.

"I told you to stay away, but you just can't let it go, can you?" He reached down and lifted the hundred and fifty pound Jim Black up with no problem. He slammed Black onto his own hood and held him by the throat. "Now listen up, you little snot!" Kevin Harris went into a tirade about staying away from his family and breaking some irreplaceable body parts of his. But amidst the tirade, Jim Black could see behind the massive ex-Seal and he could see a vehicle peeling out of the neighborhood and rushing towards highway 35.

Jim Black turned his attention back to Kevin, who snarled, "Do you understand me?"

Jim nodded. "Yes, sir! Sorry, sir! I'm leaving now!" His collar was let go of and he scrambled into his Lexus just as the Andersons came out to investigate what was going on. Jim threw himself behind the wheel and gunned the Lexus forward, rushing onto highway 35 and taking off after the rapidly fading taillights of the Silverado.

Barry Anderson ran out with his own baseball bat and came up to Kevin. "What's goin' on?"

Kevin snorted and spat on the ground. "Just taking out some trash, that's all."

XxXxXxXxX

Jim Black sped along at a dangerous rate of speed for that time of night, but he wasn't about to lose the taillights speeding away from him. They were faint and twisting through so many turns that Jim Black knew that this guy knew he was being followed and was trying to lose him.

For almost an hour, Jim Black sped after the taillights and the escaping Ace Valentine. He chased him right through the middle of a parking lot, some gas stations and back alleys of buildings. He finally got close to him on a rural road and was a little ways behind him when suddenly the truck took a sharp left turn and sped down the road. It was only out of sight for a few seconds, but when Jim Black pulled onto the long road and saw no taillights.

He sped forward, hoping to see the taillights ahead, but the road was long and straight and the odds that the truck was still in front of him were slim. He sped forward, his eyes scanning the dark night for any sign of the truck. Swearing, he hit the steering wheel in frustration. Suddenly, a pair of headlights came on behind him, blinding him as it's brights flashed at him. Black knew he'd been had, that the truck had stopped, turned off, and waited till he passed before following him in darkness until now he was behind him with his bright lights on.

The bright lights rushed forward and Jim swore, "OH SH—"

BAM

The truck slammed into the back of the Lexus and instantly spun it into the ditch. The truck screeched to a halt as the Lexus hit the ditch and came to a halt. The airbag deployed and slammed him in the face. Jim was dizzy for a few moments and was unaware of anything that was going on until suddenly his door was slung open and a shadowy figure pulled him out of his Lexus for the second time that night.

Jim Black fell on the ground and felt himself fall into the mud and water of the ditch. He was too disoriented to see Jack's fist as it plowed into his face. He felt the sick crunch of his nose as it broke and he fell back holding his nose, feeling the blood as it poured out through his fingers.

As Jim Black howled in pain, Jack reached into the truck and grabbed a hammer. He used it to smash in the Lexus's headlights.

"Take a hint and leave me alone!" Jim heard the unmistakable voice of Ace Valentine say to him. Then he slammed the door and sped off. Jim Black laid in the ditch for a long time in the blood and mud.

XxXxXxXxX

Days later, Jack wearily drove back into Village Cote as before and somehow managed to slap his hat and fake mustache on. It was the daytime and he had made it there in record time. He planned to leave that evening at nine to get to the ferry on time and get onboard. So he had a few hours to get some sleep.

He had driven like a madman nonstop before he finally he ran out of gas pulling into the gas station/hotel combo. He stumbled inside and paid for about four or five hours worth to the same young girl that he had seen last week. She smiled at him. "Hey, we got another big match-up tonight."

"Kaiser?" Jack asked.

"Naw, not this week. But a lotta tickets left, so if'in y'all wanna watch the match, there should be some tickets left tonight."

"I'm leaving tonight." He slurred as he staggered out. "Wake me up at nine, okay?"

"Sure thing, darlin'." She called back. Jack stumbled into his room and collapsed on the bed, falling asleep instantly.

XxXxXxXxX

Hours later, he heard the loud knock at his door. "Wake up call!" The cowgirl called through the door. Jack mumbled loudly, letting her know he had heard her. He wearily got up, ready to get back home to a hot shower and a day's worth of rest to recover. He felt better, but knew he had a great deal of driving to do in order to reach the ferry before it left for Flowerbud again.

He called his dad's cellphone and said, "Come get the truck, but when you get it you have to sell it. That guy knows it's mine now. I'll have to lay low for a lot longer after that. Sorry, Dad."

"No apologies necessary. Listen, just leave the truck there. It's pretty old anyway."

"Alright, Dad. Tell mom I love her."

"We love you too, son." His dad hung up. Jack sighed and grabbed a cup of coffee to wake himself up. He walked out and headed for the truck. He heard suddenly the roar of the crowd and paused as it sent chills up his spine. He turned around, remembering the time when those cheers were for him. For one brief moment, he longed for the crowds again. He paused and smiled. "What the heck." Jack strode towards the bingo hall and proudly purchased a ticket while hiding his face away like a coward so he wouldn't be recognized.

His seat was at the top of a balcony overlooking the ring. The matches actually had started about ten minutes before he walked in, so it was still low on the card. Looking down at the card, the list of matches that night, he could tell it was going to be an underwhelming match-up. He'd never met most of the men on it and certainly no one he had been friends or acquaintances with. Underwhelming.

The first few matches were dark matches. The announcer in the ring announced the first man. A local guy named Brody. His opponent was so underwhelming that the announcer didn't even bother to announce his name. All Jack could see about him was that he had a head of dark brown hair with a small ponytail at the base of his neck. He had on a pair of underwhelming black trunks and boots and elbow pads.

What followed was five minutes of a total beatdown.

The underwhelming young man with the brown hair was a Jobber, as they're called in the wrestling business. They're punching bags to be thrown around the ring by veterans or other, more experienced men on the bottom or middle of the card. Jobbers, rookies, whatever you want to call them. It was a hard thing, but it was part of the business. Part of paying your Dues, as they say. Dues are everything in wrestling. Rise to the top too far, too fast and the whole locker room would hate you and think you didn't do enough to deserve your spot.

Jack had been lucky. He'd impressed the bookers, the guys who book the matches, and had risen far, fought hard, and earned the right to be the four time AWF champion. But even the proud Ace Valentine had once been tossed around the ring like a rag doll.

The Jobber in the ring was tossed about, twisted up, and beaten down before being pinned cleanly without ever throwing a punch or making a single offensive move. When the pin was done, nobody cheered or hollered. The worst part about being a Jobber was that nobody cared who or what you are. You're nobody, you're nothing, you're a peon. Of course, the weak upside to being a loser Jobber was that the guy who pinned you isn't any better than you are. Of course that's little compensation when you lose in front of 200 people to someone not good enough to be higher on the card.

A moment after the guy who beat him walked into the back room, the Jobber in the ring slowly slid out of the ring and walked slowly. Jack noticed and noticed well. He'd seen that look before, the look of despair, sadness. He'd worn that face more than often enough to recognize it. The Jobber walked into the back with his head hung low.

Jack finished watching the show after about three hours of completely underwhelming wrestling. Local shows like this weren't exactly barn burners, but it injected a fresh dose of the old life back into Jack. Enough to make him stay awake as he drove down the long winding empty road. He looked back at his old days, the dynamic promos, the endless amounts of exercise, psyching himself up for a big pay-per-view match, the occasional loss that spurred him on to challenge the rivals who beat him to rematches that turned into some of his best matches.

That last match. Only a few months ago, but it felt like years. That massive, hour long Iron Man match. The ending gave him shivers. He didn't think Cleaver could have pinned him under the buzzer for the win. He wondered how the federation was faring without him and with Cleaver as the champ. Was he still the champ? He'd been tempted to watch AWF since he did have satellite TV, but he resisted. Seeing it might make him want to go back and he didn't want that temptation.

As he drove, he became tainted to the empty, dark road and he didn't see the broken down car until he was almost upon it. He snapped to attention and hit the brakes, wavering as he slid down. A figure dove out from in front of Jack's speeding truck and behind the car as Jack's truck clipped the car and spun around to a stop. The truck was about twenty feet ahead of the car with the headlights aiming at the car.

Jack sighed, but didn't curse. If this had been his new BMW he'd have been cheesed, but he wasn't. It was a crappy old truck with a new dent. big whoop. He caught his breath and noticed someone picking himself off the ground. He exited the truck and walked over, leaving the headlights on so he could see. He approached the person standing up and noticed something.

It was the Jobber.

The brown hair, ponytail, there was no mistaking him. He recognized him. He was wearing a brown shirt and some blue jean shorts, but it was him. Jack felt his fake mustache and made sure it was still attached. It wasn't. He'd taken it off and forgotten about it, so now his face was exposed and he could only hope that the kid didn't recognize him. And he WAS a kid. Couldn't have been older than seventeen at least. He looked up at Jack with a laugh. "Hey, thanks for stopping."

Jack laughed. This guy reminded him of Ann. "Sorry, kid. I wasn't paying attention very well. I'm so freakin' tired. I didn't mean to almost hit you."

"Well, I'm glad you did." The Jobber said, "I could use a hand with my car." He pointed to his car, which was so old it was practically nothing but pieces of rust holding hands. The engine was still smoking. Jack stepped forward and sighed. "I don't know much about cars, kid, but I don't think your car's gonna run with that." Jack pointed and in the light of the truck both of them could see a massive crack running across the engine. It looked like the block had been split with an axe down the middle.

The Jobber sighed and lowered his head, his hands on the old junk car. Jack said, "Sorry, man." For a moment, the Jobber just stood there. Then his shoulders began to heave. He lifted his head slightly and Jack saw a large stream of tears running down his face as he stared hatefully at the car. Then, without warning, he started to angrily kick the car and let out an endless string of curses so foul that Jack felt his eyebrows burn just hearing them. He strolled to the side of the car and started punching the car with his fist. For a few minutes, Jack watched the Jobber cursing and hitting the car until he finally sank to the ground with his back to it, setting his head on his knees as he began to cry loudly.

Jack felt like a sore thumb. He didn't know what to do or say. Finally, he did the only thing he could think of. He let a little bit of his father and Ace Valentine leak in and went over to the kid. "Alright, that's enough. Come on, don't sob all night long. Hop in the truck and I'll give you a ride to town so you can make a phone call." Jack sighed as he heard what he was saying. This meant he'd miss that ferry for sure. The Jobber drew in a deep breath and nodded, wiping his eyes. He followed Jack to the truck and got in. They pulled away, heading for Village Cote.

The Jobber looked surprised. "Hey, you're going the wrong way. Metro Heights is that way."

"Sorry, kid. That way ends at Flowerbud River. Looks like you were headed the wrong way."

The kid scoffed and threw his hands up. "I knew it. Man, I just knew it. Listen, man, I...thanks for giving me a lift. I mean, I was out in the middle of nowhere and just BAM that engine goes and dies on me. I didn't mean to lose my cool, dude, but I've...I've just had it up to here."

"Ah." Jack said. "Things not going well?"

"Haven't been going well since I was sixteen." The Jobber sighed and looked out the window, then started talking loud and fast. "You know whose fault this is? Ace Valentine, man! That pile of horse flop! He's responsible for EVERYTHING that's gone wrong in my life."

Jack cocked an eyebrow and smiled to himself. "Oh?"

"Yeah. See, when I was sixteen, I was Ace's biggest fan. I mean, I had all his matches on tape and DVD, I had posters, I lived and breathed that guy's every move ever since he came into AWF. I even knew his real name. It was Jack Harris. Well, I get sixteen and I was pumped up about being a wrestler myself. So I go and quit school and leave home and pay three thousand dollars of my own life savings to get some old guy to teach me how to fall and put me in some torture he calls training. Well, I figure it's all part of it and I'll get through it and all that. My dream was to be where Ace was. My dream was to beat Ace and earn his respect."

Jack said nothing.

"Well, I start jobbing at bingo halls over a year ago and I haven't gotten a break ever since. I've sacrificed my blood, sweat, and tears to travel all over the country just to earn a few bucks to make due. Then that greedy, money-monger Valentine goes and flies off the face of the Earth. So much for my big hero. Then that freakin' car was all I had left in the world. I felt bad enough losing another match to that guy back there in Village Cote's bingo hall, but when that car died back there...God, I just lost it man."

"So what now?" Jack finally asked.

The Jobber scoffed. "I dunno. I guess it's back to my parent's farm with my freakin' tail between my legs. I swore to them I'd make it big someday and I'd be rich and famous when I came back, but I guess I was wrong. I guess I'll have to call my old man to come get me. If he won't, I guess I'll have to hitchhike back to Oklahoma. Man...I hate my life. That's it! I quit! I'm just gonna go back to the farm and screw all my dreams." He sniffled again, his tear returning in full.

Jack hit the brakes and brought the truck to a stop. In front of him was the ferry and the supply crews. They were getting ready to leave. He turned to the Jobber, his hat's cap hiding the front of his face. "Kid, you gotta lot of guts saying the things you're saying. Ace Valentine at least finished high school and got an education before he went into the business. Goin' into the business before you're done with school is just stupid, so don't expect any sympathy from me concerning that."

Jack cleared his throat. He was surprised the kid hadn't recognized his voice if he was really as big a fan as he claimed to be. "But I CAN help you, if you want help. Everyone needs help...even Ace Valentine. I'll give you a choice."

The Jobber swallowed the lump in his throat and dried his eyes. "What do you have?"

"You said you were on a farm? Well, I own a farm and I could use a little help every now and then. Now, I don't have an extra room at the farmhouse, but I can put you up at the Inn and you work for me. I'll pay you good money and you help me with my farm, cause I could use the help."

The Jobber looked surprised. "Really, man? You'd do that for me? I don't want to be an inconvenience or anything."

"Don't worry about that or money or anything. I'm good as far as that goes. I live in Flowerbud. No cable TV or things like that, but it's a nice quiet little town that no one's ever heard of. You can just disappear there. Nice people, nice town, good food. Not a lotta girls, but that shouldn't matter unless you're picky."

The Jobber laughed. "And what's the other choice."

"I don't need this truck anymore. You can have it for free if you want, but that means going back to where you came from. It means going home in shame, like you said. You could go back to the business, try again...but I think you've been down that road before and you know where it leads." Jack pointed to the dark road they had just come from. It was long, harrowing, empty. The Jobber looked to the ferry, heading for Flowerbud.

He nodded. "I'll go with you. Thanks, man. I appreciate this." He held out his hand.

Jack held his hand up, telling him to hold on. "Wait, there's a catch. If you come with me, you have to swear that you keep this to yourself, that you never tell a soul what you know about this place. If you swear that and I believe you, I'll let you go."

The Jobber nodded. "Okay. I swear. I won't tell anyone what I see or hear about this place no matter what. Promise."

Jack smiled, "That's good. Well, if you're going to be my new hired hand, I can't very well keep calling you kid. What's your name?" He held out his hand.

The Jobber shook it. "Cliff. My name's Cliff Szatowskie."

"Well, Cliff. Nice to meet you." Jack pulled off his hat and looked up into Cliff's eyes. "My name's Jack Harris."

There was a long moment where Cliff stared at Jack with a bewildered, confused look on his face, as if he should know this person. Then, all at once, it hit him and he screamed like a thirteen-year-old girl. Jack sneered and reached out and backhanded him across the face. "Get a grip, kid."

"I said my name was Cliff." He said, rubbing his face.

"For screaming like that, you've been demoted back to kid. Listen, I meant what I said. You don't tell a soul about me, got it? No one in Flowerbud knows who I am and no one in the outside world knows I live here. That means if you come with me, you keep it to yourself and go on being my hired hand."

"Oh." Cliff sighed, "I thought that you were getting ready for a comeback."

Jack shook his head. "No comeback. Not now. Not ever."

"Why?"

"I'll explain later. Right now I'm dead tired, ready to get home and sleep all night. Now, kid, can I trust you to take me up on my offer after seeing me? Or do you want to run home with your big news?"

Cliff swallowed. "Well, I think that...it wouldn't change anything if I did. You, I guess, want to remain out of the public's eye."

"Darn skippy." Jack said.

"So I'm still going with you. If I can."

Jack smiled and nodded. "No problem. Welcome to Flowerbud, Mr. Cliff Zat- tow-kat-skie or whatever. Come on, the ferry is gonna leave anything soon." Jack left the truck and Cliff followed like a happy puppy. "Hey, Ace—I mean, Jack! I, er, wanna apologize for all those nasty things I said about you."

"You'd better apologize, you little punk. Now just because you can't let anyone in on who I am outside the village doesn't mean I can't lecture you on all that whining you just did. Buck up, kid. Be a man. Get over all that crud you cried about back there. It's over. No more sense in worrying about it. I'm giving you a chance at something new, so be grateful. You're getting something I had to make on my own."

Cliff nodded. "I understand. Again, thank you for helping me."

Jack patted Cliff on the shoulder as they walked onto the ferry. "Don't thank me just yet. The summer's coming up and we've got a lot of work to do."


	11. Summer

CHAPTER ELEVEN: "SUMMER"

It was the blasted middle of the night when the ferry returned to Flowerbud. Jack was about to fall off his feet. He sighed and wiped his eyes as the ferry slowly put into dock. Cliff jumped off with the rope that hooked to the boat and tied it to the dock. Jack waited until the boat was still before he slowly walked down the ramp, unable to muster the strength to climb over the side of the ferry.

Zack walked past him and caught sight of his unwashed face, the dark bags under his eyes, his greasy hair, and his particularly foul odor. "Man, Jack, you need a shower and a good night's sleep."

Jack scoffed. "YA THINK?"

Zack stepped away with his hands held up. "Okay, okay. Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, Zack." Jack said with a sigh. He slumped forward as he shuffled down the dock. "I haven't slept in days and I haven't washed almost since I left last week. I'm a little on the grouchy side."

"Well, go ahead and get home."

Jack let out a longer, deeper sigh, since it was the only thing he could do without getting winded. "Can't. I gotta put the rookie up at the Inn."

"I said my name is Cliff." Cliff complained as he struggled to tie a knot in the rope.

"AND I SAID YOU'VE BEEN DEMOTED, SPARKY! YOU GOTTA WORK BACK UP TO THE NAME YER MOMMA GAVE YA!"

"Are you drunk?" Zack asked.

"I had a few sips of the good wine on the way over." Jack slurred. "But I'm not drunk! Honest, I never even touch alcohol! I'm alright."

"Uh-huh. I'm going to bed." Zack said, "Those boxes can wait until morning." He walked into his house and slapped Cliff on the back. "Just leave it like that. I already tied another rope when I noticed you weren't doing it right."

Cliff looked down at his rope. His wrist was caught in the knot, somehow. Embarrassed, he slipped his hand out and walked up to Jack. "Come on, let's get you home."

"I gotta get you to the Inn first." Jack sighed, rubbing his eyes yet again. "Man, maybe I DID drink too much." They started walking down the beach.

"You only had five sips. I know because I counted them all from the time you popped the cork to the time you put it back in." Cliff snickered. "Maybe you can't hold your liquor."

"What? I'm holding it right now." He held up the bottle of wine in his hand. Cliff coughed to cover up a laugh. They didn't any anything else until they finally reached the Inn. Jack snarled and knocked on the door.

Five knockings later, he slammed the door with his fist.

Four slamming fits later he howled out, "ANN! DOUG! GET UP!"

Cliff looked to the sign next to the door. "Uh, it says the Inn is only open until eleven pm. It's four-thirty am right now."

"You're not staying at my place!" Jack yelled, banging on the door again, "Last guy I shared a hotel room with, he riffled through my bag and sold my boxer shorts on EBay—skidmark and all!"

"Oh." Cliff said. A loud yell from inside brought their heads up. The door to the Inn flung open and Ann stood on the other side, looking just as bleary-eyed and agitated as Jack. She only wore a baggy t-shirt that went to her thighs and she held a baseball bat in her arms. She looked at both of them and swung the bat at their heads. Jack and Cliff ducked and the bat hit the doorframe. "Let that be a lesson to you both!" She yelled.

"Ann, wait!" Jack yelled, "It's me. Jack! I gotta get a room for my sidekick Scooter here." He jabbed his thumb at Cliff, who smiled and waved shyly as Ann scrutinized him, looking him up and down.

"It's four-thirty in the morning, you freaks. He can't stay with you until the morning?"

"He's afraid I'll sell his undies." Cliff said.

"Fair enough." Ann looked sleepily to Jack. "I took one look at you, Jack, with your hair greasy, smelling like body odor and wine and I swore you were my mom. All you need is to thrash an extension cord above you head and yell something like, 'YOU'LL ALWAYS BE A SHAMELESS HUSSY, YOU FLEA- BITTEN MONGREL' and the illusion would have been complete. As for you, Scooter, you can have the one spare room we have available."

Cliff rolled his eyes. "Fine. And my name is Cliff."

"Not at four-thirty in the morning, pencil-neck!" Ann snarled. She looked to Jack and said, "Mom, go home and quit bothering me."

"I'll pay in the morning." Jack said to Ann. He looked to Cliff. "No work tomorrow. Not until I've slept for at least a week." Jack turned around and mumbled incoherently as he staggered home, where he opened the door, slammed it behind him and collapsed on the bed.

Jack wasn't even out of sight before Ann slapped Cliff in the stomach and glared menacingly at him. "You have officially gotten on my bad side, Scooter."

"Is that the side that exists from ten at night to five in the morning?" Cliff asked, jokingly. Ann had a smart-alec remark ready, but she held it back and smiled for just a bare moment as Cliff flashed her a genuine smile. "Follow me. Your room is next to mine." She walked into the Inn, leading Cliff through the sea of table and chairs and smiling every time he hit his foot on the leg of something wooden.

"We have rules here, but I'm too tired to shell them out, Scooter. Just go to sleep and we'll talk in the morning. Shoot, I might even show you around town just to prove I'm not the shameless hussy, flea-bitten mongrel my mom said I was."

"This place sounds a mite strange." Cliff said.

"Nope. Lucky me, It's only MY family." Cliff looked up as Ann was ascending the stairs and felt his eyes pop out of his head when he saw that Ann wasn't wearing any shorts or underwear of any kind, just her t-shirt. Cliff knew he should have looked away, but by the time that thought settled in, Ann had reached the top of the stairs and her naked bottom vanished as she turned around to see Cliff frozen at the base of the stairs. She put her hand on her hip. "They're called stairs. You go up them with the two things you call legs. Try it, ding-bat."

Cliff swallowed, thankful for the lack of light and went up the stairs as he followed Ann to the door to his room. Ann knocked it open with her bat. "This is the door. You may use it. I'm going to bed before I kill someone."

Cliff smiled. "Nice to have met you, Ann."

As he tried to pass into the room, she caught his collar in her hand and pulled him closer to her. He might have liked it if her breath didn't smell like moldy eggs. She narrowed her eyes and rasped, "Oh, and I know what you were doing at the bottom of those stairs, so listen and listen well, because your future health depends on it!" She tightened her grip. "Rule One: Nobody stares at my braid." With that, she turned back around and slunk into her room.

Cliff smiled to himself as she left. "Okay. I promise I won't stare at your braid." Ann's door slammed. Cliff staggered into his room and fell on his bed with his arms behind his head and a smile on his face. "Yeah, no braid-staring for me."

It was seven-thirty and there was a loud, rapid knock at his door. He didn't answer it, but that didn't matter. Popuri burst through the door and went to the drapes, tossing them open and throwing in the bright sunlight. Jack cringed against the sunlight and Popuri's shrill voice. "Hi, Jaaaaack! I heard this morning you came back last night, so I decided to come over and say hi! Get up, sleepy-head! This is no time to be...sleeping...in?" Her voice trailed off as she saw the despotic look that suddenly appeared on Jack's face. He sat up in bed and looked like an enraged zombie. Popuri stood stock still, terrified.

"AAAAAAAAARGH!" Jack screamed angrily i. "GET THE &*$# OUT OF HERE!"

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Popuri screamed. The girl with pink hair dashed out of the house. "SHUT THE DOOR!" Jack screamed, turning his head to the door. Popuri dashed back and shut the door and then dashed as fast as she could back to her house. Jack sighed as he threw off his covers and got up to shut the drapes and then went back to sleep.

XxXxXxXxX

It was some time later in the afternoon that Jack finally woke up. He was still dead tired, but if he slept any longer it would screw up his timetable and he'd be staying awake during the night and sleeping during the day and he just couldn't have it. He got up and yawned off some of the sleepiness. He strolled into the bathroom and took a long shower, washing off the hard week of traveling. He brushed his teeth, shaved, and scraped off that nasty film that had formed on his tongue. He felt revitalized to have his skin clean and his hair fresh. It was getting a little thick and it was time to have it cut soon, since summer had arrived while he was gone.

The air had gotten warmer and the humidity had risen a little, making the summer feel only a little oppressive. He looked forward to planting his fields and giving it the old heave ho. He walked down to his chicken coop and went inside, glad to see that Sam was still there and that he had a pile of food available for him. Thankfully, Karen had agreed to take care of Frodo and Sam while he was gone. He thought about that when Karen came to see him at the end of one day.

Speaking of which, the girl was walking down to see him. He took in a long breath and smiled as she came close. His smile faltered slightly when he saw the frown on her face. "Well, aren't YOU the picture of serenity." He said.

"Don't joke around. I really don't feel like it today. I was wondering when you'd get back." She tucked her hands into her back pockets as she followed him down the edge of his property between his field and the creek. Jack picked up a flat stone and skipped it along it's surface.

"I missed you." She said. "Seems like things just aren't the same when you aren't around. Well, they ARE the same, just the same as they were before you came along."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Jack asked. "Cause I just got back, I'm still half –asleep and the only thing saving my sanity is the nice little shower I just had. So needless to say, I don't exactly have a good grasp on reality at the moment. What time is it?"

"Two-forty. Why?"

"Well, I thought I'd go see Sparky at the Inn and get a plan laid out for the summer. I got some things I need to do that need to get done and I need his help." Jack smiled when he saw the confused look on her face. "Ah, I'll explain about Sparky later."

"Do you mean Cliff?" Karen asked.

"Yeah, that's him. How'd you know about him?"

"Everyone knows him by now. Ann's brought him to EVERYONE in town. I've never seen her like this. I've seen them at least three or four times today, laughing, talking, joking. I don't know what to think. Of course, Cliff IS kind of..." Karen paused, "Well, I'd better not say, since he is your help. Wouldn't want things to get back to him."

"Ask me if I care."

"Do you care?"

"Not really."

"Ah."

They reached the edge of his property and gazed out at the Poultry Farm, where Popuri was spreading chicken feed on the ground. She spied the two of them walking and promptly turned her back to them. Jack ignored her and continued walking with Karen.

"So what did you do all week long?" Karen asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Made big cash. Got into a car chase. Busted some guy's face in."

"Jack, you're full of it." Karen smiled, swiping her bangs away. "I think that's what's best about you. Listen, I don't have long to talk so I'll just get right down to it. Tonight is the big beginning of summer bash at Kai's place. Everyone shows up, so I hope you'll be there. I blew my pay on some of Won's stuff and I don't have a lot of cash. I was hoping you'd grab the tab."

Jack rubbed his chin. "Well, I don't know."

"Come on, Jack. Don't tell me you'd let me go hungry on the best day of the year." She gave him The Look. He knew the Look, it was the same kind of Look girls always gave him when they tried to get his attention. The Look hadn't crossed his path in a long time. He'd forgotten just how much he'd missed it. "I think I could part with a few bucks to make a nice girl happy."

Karen just grinned, "Who ever said I was a nice girl?"

"You do." Jack said, coolly. "The way you talk, the way you walk, the way you pick your nose when you think no one's looking. Karen, you absolutely reek of 'nice girl'. Trust me, I've know the bad girls and you're not one of them. I don't think you could pull it off if you tried."

Karen scoffed. "Fine. Then buy me the 'Nice Girl Special' at Kai's, kay? It starts at five."

"It's a date. Five, then." Jack waved as Karen walked off. A date. His first one in at least a year.

XxXxXxXxX

He was still dead tired when five started to roll around. He started walking to town at four, but paused when he spotted the lights still on at the Poultry Farm. He decided on a quick detour. He knocked on the door and Rick answered with a big grin when he saw Jack. "Hey, Jack! Where ya been?"

"Here, there, and everywhere. Why are you still here? Isn't that big party at the beach in a little while?"

Rick's face grew dark. "Yes, but don't think I'M going over there!"

"Why?"

"Because of Kai." Rick did that finger thing again, waving it around like a wand when he was angry. "That guy...I can't stand him! He comes here EVERY summer, turns the whole town upside down, and he dogs Popuri like you wouldn't believe!"

"Oh?" Jack felt laughter rising in his throat, but held it back when he saw the look of pure contempt in Rick's eyes. "Well, I'm going anyway. Have a nice pity-party, Rick."

"Someone has to take care of mom." Rick said, "And it's not going to be dad, so guess who has to? I wouldn't go anyway."

This guy was making Jack depressed just listening to him. "Fine. Is Popuri coming?"

"No." Rick cast Jack a glare. "In fact, now that you mention it, she's been crying all day long. Said you screamed at her this morning."

"I needed sleep and she decided to remind me that our world revolves around a giant ball of fire. Later, Rick."

"Yeah. Sure." Rick's tone suggested that he wasn't too happy with him, but Jack wasn't about to feel bad about it. He'd have never made it into the main event scene if he'd gotten upset because he hurt a few feelings. The Poultry Farm would just have to get over it all.

Making his way across the square, he whistled as he approached the beach- It was nice knowing he had a beach to go to during the summer. The air was warm and breezy and ever since he had arrived in town he felt a slight breeze that hadn't stopped rolling down from Mother's Hill. He could hear the roll of waves as he approached the beach. It was relaxing, to say the least.

He strolled down the steps and onto the sand. He looked at the shack beside Zack's home and while he had never really noticed it before, he definitely saw it now. The boarded up windows were open, music was drifting in the air, and nearly the entire town minus the Poultry Farm family was present. Jack strolled on in and found the inside to be as quaint as the Inn. Wooden tables and chairs, a real rustic motive with some sea paraphernalia hanging on the wall (You know an anchor, a lobster, some nets strung about the ceiling)

Cliff was at the bar with a mug in his hand. Ann was sitting on the bar with her legs crossed as they swung underneath her. She had a mug in her hand and a smile on her face, a bright smile that Jack hadn't seen on her before. A smile she aimed at Cliff almost every second it was aimed at Cliff. The rest of the town was sitting in or ambling around the door. They greeted him when he came in, raising their glasses. All of them except Duke.

"Welcome back, Jack!" Doug said, shaking his hand. "Without you, the town just didn't seem the same."

"I hope not." Jack grinned. "What's going on?"

"This is our annual beginning of summer celebration." Harris said from the table he shared with his father, Mayor Thomas. He had to speak above the chattering voices and loud music. "We've had it every summer since Kai came."

Jack nodded, "Okay. So where is this guy?"

"He's in the back, cooking pizzas." Harris said.

Jack felt a light touch on his shoulder and he turned to see Sasha standing behind him, regarding him rather coolly. "Karen asked me to tell you that she'll be a little late."

"Oh. Okay." Jack said.

"Alright, my friends!" A loud Latino voice cried from the back door. "Who's ready for some pizza?"

Jack's ears perked nervously when he heard that voice. That voice...

"Here it comes!" The voice cried.

Jack literally gasped out loud.

THAT VOICE!

The door was kicked in and out came a young man in a black jacket, white shirt, and purple dew rag wrapped around his head. He had dark tan skin and dark eyes, but a wide smile as he ambled out with a pizza in each hand. "Yes, yes, my friends, here is the best pizza in the world, baked with the skilled international hands of yours truly." He set them on the bar as everyone lined up to grab a slice.

"Thanks, Kai." Ann said, piling three slices for herself. "Your pizzas are the best."

Jack backed away from the bar, his mouth hanging open as he shook his head in disbelief. "Oh no." He said to himself, "No, this is NOT happening to me!"

No one heard him. Jack knew what to do. He had to turn around and run away and hide in his farm. But it was too late, as Kai set the pizzas down and wiped his hands on his pants he looked up and stared Jack right in the face. Jack froze like a deer in headlights. Kai's face dropped as he stared, not blinking, not breathing, not daring to hope against hope that his eyes were telling him the truth.

Kai stepped slowly from around the bar and approached him. He came closer and squinted, as if that would make things clearer. "I-I-I don't believe it." He breathed; only Jack heard him speak. "Ace, man? Is that you? Ace, is that you? Ace, man, it's me, man. It's me, you know?"

Jack shook his head angrily and clenched his teeth. "Hey, Julius."

"Hey now, go easy on the Julius stuff, kay? Around here, everyone calls me Kai. Hey, where have you been?" He held out his hand.

Jack grabbed Kai's hand roughly and jerked him closer, growling in his face. "We've got to talk, Kaiser! You and me! Outside! NOW!" He let go of Kai's hand and stormed out onto the dock, following by a flustered and confused Kai.

"Man, where have you BEEN? Everyone's been lookin' for ya, man. No one knows where ya are. Ya know how many people keep callin' me an' askin' where ya at?"

They reached the end of the dock and Jack spun around and grabbed Kai's shirt, pulling him closer. "Look, Kaiser, we've got a big problem."

Kai's joyful face vanished and was replaced by The Face. The Face was the set in stone, ice cold look Kaiser held when he was ready to hurt someone and hurt them well. Jack knew it. He'd stared into The Face more times than he can remember. Kai looked down at Jack's hands and nodded, speaking calmly. "Yes, Ace, we DO have problem. You have invaded my summer home and threatened me. So I suggest that you take your hands off me and man up, because if your hands aren't off me in two seconds, you'll have to learn to feed yourself with your feet, amigo. You dig?"

Jack let go slowly and took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair. "Sorry. I overreacted."

The Face disappeared—Julius Kaiser disappeared—and Kai was back in charge, smiling as he patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, amigo, no harm done. But I do have questions kay?"

"And I have a request, but I'll go ahead and answer your questions first and foremost." Jack proceeded to give Kai the entire story of how he left. He left out the part about taking a dive to get out of his contract and instead focused on how he decided to disappear and run his grandfather's farm while he disappeared off the face of the earth. At the end, Kai nodded and laughed. "Amigo, you have no idea how much money I could make just knowing where you are?"

"Well, that brings me to my next question: can I trust you not to tell anyone?"

Kai laughed. "What, I thought you were planning a big comeback, amigo." He frowned when he saw Jack's face. "What? You're not?"

"Not now. Not ever. And you knowing that I live here is the problem I was talking about earlier."

"How?" Kai asked.

"Ju..Kai, no one here knows who I am." Jack said.

Kai shrugged. "No one here knows who I am either, so what?"

"I mean, no one here knows that I was Ace Valentine. No one knows who Ace Valentine IS and that's the way I want to keep it, understand? Kai, this is my home now. I like it here. I need to know that when you leave here, you keep this to yourself."

Kai shifted from foot to foot and looked out over the water, stuffing his hands into his jacket. "Man, let me see if I dig this. You don't want anyone outside the village to know where you are and you don't want no one here to know who you were?"

"That's the size of it."

Kai was silent for a long time as he looked out over the sun setting against the water. "I found this place when I used to work as a teenager for a loading company. Came here by accident, really. Man, I made the guy who drove the truck mad or somethin' and he said when we got done with the job, we were gonna have it out. So I stowed on the ferry and Zack let me stay in that shack right there, my little business. I stayed all summer. I love this place too, Ace. Ain't no way I'm gonna screw it up for either of us. Amigo, you have my word. Not a word to anyone." He held out his hand. "You're my friend, Ace. Even when we were killing each other in the ring in Japan, I always respected you. When you made it big, I felt privileged to know I helped you up where you were. When you finally beat me, I knew you were the man and I was right. I would never turn my back on a man like you, Ace. You have my word, amigo. You have my word."

Jack smiled and shook Kai's hand. "Thank you, Julius. You know, I always felt that even though I had beaten you, that you were always the better of us. You always had one last trick up your sleeve."

Kai grinned slyly. "I save THAT trick for the mamacitas. Look, I'm not Julius here, I'm Kai."

"And I'm not Ace, I'm Jack. Just Jack."

"Well, Just Jack, are you ready to try the world famous pizza made by the international hands of yours truly?" Kai grinned, slapping Jack on the shoulder. Jack slapped him back, knocking him forward a bit since Jack was a few inches taller and a few pounds heavier.

"You know what my favorite time was?" Jack said, "The time I was in the business, the one time that I enjoyed the most?"

"What time was that?"

"Us. Not us as rivals. Us when we won the ICW Tag Team Championships. One month. One glorious month when we absolutely ruled the world." Jack grinned.

"Yeah, until you lost em' to the Basher Bros." Kai said.

"Me?" Jack asked, surprised. "Who was the one who let them slip that chair in the ring?"

"Well, I'm not the one who was cursing at the ref." Kai said.

Jack scoffed. "No, you were the one who hit me in the head with a lead pipe."

Kai looked hurt. "That was an accident, amigo."

"That smile on your face after you hit me said otherwise." Jack grinned. Kai stopped and the two stared at each other. Kai shrugged. "Hey, YOU were charmin' yourself into my girlfriend's pants the day before. Yeah, I saw that little pinch you gave her caboose in her dressing room."

Jack shifted from one foot to the other, smiling sheepishly. "Well, it was a very nice caboose."

Kai stared off for a minute. "Yeah, it was, wasn't it?"

"What happened to her?"

"She's back at the strip joint where I found her, I think."

"And here you are trying to defend a dirty girl like that."

Kai laughed. "Man, you went out with her after I did."

Jack just smiled. "Well, I couldn't let it go to waste. Besides, somebody had to comfort her while she mourned your usual summer disappearance. Don't feel bad; she tried to stab me in the forehead with a fork."

Kai laughed. "Amigo, you haven't changed a bit. Come on, I'll let you buy some of my pizza."

Jack laughed back. "I thought it was free. Big summer beginning celebration and all that."

"For a man who could fund NASA for the rest of his life, you get to pay me for pizza. Come on, I'll give you a discount. Only two thousand dollars a slice, whadda ya say, amigo?"

Jack only laughed and walked in to join the celebration. He spied Karen coming down the beach and he waved her over. She came over and he detected the changes that had obviously been done. Karen wore make-up. Not much, but Jack could see a slight bit of blush and some lipstick that was a few tones darker than her skin. He sniffed the air. Was that a bit of perfume he smelled? Seemed as though Karen was working extra hard to catch someone's attention, as this was definitely not like Karen at all.

He smiled to himself. Who was he to let a pretty girl's efforts go unnoticed. He snaked an arm around her waist and drew her closer as they walked into Kai's seaside shack. Karen only smiled and he felt her arm slowly cross over his and rest against his side as they joined the celebration.

Summer was officially here and everyone was celebrating.

Everyone but Popuri.

XxXxXxXxX

When the party was over, Jack stumbled to the house late at night. He ambled into his farm, taking note of the weeds that had grown in his absence. Oh well, he thought. More work for Cliff. He stopped at the mailbox and pulled out a single envelope. It was too dark to read it, so he went inside.

Immediately, he noticed that it had no address or return address. He opened it and read it. A moment later, he crumpled it in his hand angrily and cursed as loud as he could.

There, typed in the middle of the paper, was the phrase:

"I KNOW WHO YOU REALLY ARE."


	12. Triple Dipping

**CHAPTER TWELVE: "TRIPLE-DIPPING"**

The mysterious note only left a cold feeling in Jack's gut, but it was one he had to bury because there was work to be done. His faithful calculating had resolved to see three big harvests before the end of the summer with only a few days break in between, so he wasn't planning on a great deal of resting, but rather working.

And upgrading as well. The museum exhibits on rust that are his tools weren't enough to get the job done. It'd taken him forever to clear out the weeds and when he was done, he'd forgotten all about the logs and rocks—not to mention the boulders and stones. Good lord, how had those gotten there?

So the day after the party, as per Jack's request the night before, Cliff was on the farm grounds at the crack of dawn with Jack. Jack was in one of his tiring days where all he could say was 'It's days like this that make me wish I drank coffee'. Cliff took his less than enthusiastic attitude in stride until Jack would at least wake up.

Jack opened the door to the check coop and let Sam come out. "Come on, Sam. Run around for a bit." The chick cheeped happily and hopped out into the sunshine. Frodo sniffed at Sam, but Sam pecked him on the nose and that was the end of Frodo's fascination with chickens.

"First things first." Jack said, pointing to the field. "We hoe, we plant, we water. That's it for today, but it'll take a while besides. You have a choice, Spanky: go into town and fetch the seeds or start hoeing. Whoever hoes gets to hoe the entire time. The person fetching the seeds will come back and plant them behind the hoer. Then we water together."

"I'll take the seeds. I don't know if you have the know how yet for planting seeds." Cliff said.

"Well, I'm not trying to sound superior here, Jack, but you've never run a farm before. To an extent, I have and I know a bit more."

Jack smiled. "My investment in you is already paying off." He handed a list of seeds to Cliff, "Go fetch these. And no stopping by the Inn for an Ann-break. You're on MY time now, slave!"

Cliff laughed as he walked off, "Help, help, I'm being repressed!"

Jack laughed, surprised that Cliff had the humor and intelligence enough to quote a movie like that. Jack took up the scene where Cliff left off. "Bloody peasant!"

"Ah, oh, you all saw that, eh?" He asked of Frodo and Sam, "You saw him repressin' me? Now we see the violence inherit in the system!"

"I'm coming over there!" Jack took a step forward. Cliff was gone before he could take another one.

Cliff, as Jack soon found out, was worth every cent Jack was paying him, as he was an unstoppable farming machine. Jack's plan was to plant three long rows from the top of his field to the bottom and with a different crop on each row: one for each of the summer crops. Now he had half of the first row done by the time Cliff returned with the massive amounts of sacks in his arms. So he started planting behind Jack and before Jack even got 3/4s of the way down, Cliff had caught up to him.

"You're doin' that like an old granny!" Cliff cried, "Gimmie that hoe!"

Jack snickered. "Okay, you want this hoe, she's all yours."

Cliff was oblivious to the double entendre, but Jack wasn't. "Now look, you've got your grip on the hoe all wrong. You got to clasp both hands at the neck like so,"

"Oh, the neck?" Jack was trying to keep from exploding into laughter. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, and you're stance is all wrong, you need to spread your legs out a little farther."

"Oh, so I have to stand like this when I have my hoe by the neck?"

"Yeah, and be careful, too. You'd don't know what could happen if the head slips loose, right?"

Jack's face was bright purple. "Oh dear God, I wouldn't want that to happen."

"Now when you come down with the hoe-."

"AHAHAHA!" Jack couldn't contain himself anymore and he exploded into gales of laughter. (It wasn't until that night, when Cliff was lying in bed by himself, that he finally understood why Jack was laughing and he exploded into riotous laughter himself when he realized what he'd been saying.)

The hoe incident notwithstanding, Jack let Cliff take the farming tool and turn the earth into minced dirt. He wanted to go back over Jack's original row and re-hoe it, but there were already seeds there. Cliff was handy with the farm tools and he showed Jack just how to hoe the earth to get it as the finest consistency for planting crops.

The hoeing took all day long and they stopped for a brief lunch upon which Karen came running up to them. She spied Cliff and smiled at him, "Well, good day to you, Mr. Cliff. And again, welcome to Flowerbud. I thought you'd be here so I brought one for each of you." She handed Cliff and Jack each a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Jack asked.

"List of the festivals for summer." Karen answered. "We do the most amount of festivals during the summer and, of course, they're also the funnest. My favorite is the tomato festival, so Jack you have to grow some good throwing tomatoes."

"I don't even want to know." Jack said, looking at the calendar. "What's the moonlight festival?"

"Oh, well, that's a special festival where you supposed to spend the evening with someone you like and watch the moon at Mother's Hill. Romantic, no?"

"Not really." Cliff said. "Romance is over-rated."

"Don't tell me," Karen said, glaring at him, "You had bad experiences with girls too?"

"Shoot, I haven't had a girlfriend since my high school sweetheart dumped me for some guy who smoked pot and wrote poetry."

Jack looked to him, "At the same time?"

"If possible. I guess pot-head poetry was her thing and since I don't do any of either I was just outta luck."

"Yeah, high school sweetheart, huh?" Jack laughed, "What was that, like two weeks ago?"

Karen rolled her eyes and left. "Meatheads." She muttered out loud.

Of course, there was more than just the tomato festival. There was the beach, the beach festival, the cooking festival, the music festival, and then the end of the year fireworks festival which followed the talent festival. Jack had a few ideas stirring in his brain for the festivals, but the moonlight festival caught his attention. Was he going to ask someone? Should he? A question for another time, he mused.

He focused all his energy on getting the crops ready. After that, all he had to do was water them. It took two days to get the ground ready and the seeds planted and watered. He showed Cliff around his farm and bought the kid a rucksack to help carry some tools in. Then, in the middle of the week, they struck out on an expedition. They passed by the hot springs and entered the Spring Mine. Cliff held up a lantern and the tools they needed: the hoe and the hammer.

It'd been so long since anyone had come into the mine that the entrances to the bottom floors were covered up with soil. It took some doing to find the entrances. Cliff and Jack stayed in the mines for a long time, but Jack found four minerals—something called mystril—that Saibara said he needed in order to upgrade his tools. They emerged from the mine, shocked to find that it was already dark and that it was time for supper.

Jack bid Cliff farewell and hobbled inside. He put the minerals down by the door and shuffled into the bathtub to wash off the day's work. When he finished, he had just put on his sleeping pants when he passed by the door and heard the faintest of knocking. Exhausted, he didn't too much feel like company and he groaned to accentuate it. He opened the door anyway, wondering if it was Popuri here to scold him for yelling at her.

It was Mary.

He hadn't seen all that much of Mary since his arrival, but he HAD given her those books and he promptly forgotten about them. He hadn't forgotten about her, but every time he curled up with a book he thought about her and how he'd have to go and visit he at the library, see if she liked his books or not.

Well, here she was standing before him with a few books in her hands. She looked up at him and she was awestruck at how much taller he was than she was. She was a diminutive five feet tall and he was at least six two, six three. Not to mention he had at least a hundred and fifty pounds over her miniscule one hundred pounds. She looked sheepishly at him, her eyes drawing wider and wider as she him. Jack cocked an eyebrow. "Evening, Mary. Need anything?"

"Er...why are you naked?"

"I'm not naked." Jack said, looking down. He was without a shirt on. "I'm just topless. And I'm like this because I got out of the tub not too long ago and it's my house so if I want to go around in the buff, by God I will. Anyway, what're you doing here this late?"

She smiled a tiny smile that was, possibly, the cutest thing Jack had ever seen. He immediately squashed the 'cute' thought, as it was a little too girly a thought for his comfort. Still, she had a nice smile. Sh20+

.e held out his books. "Well, I just finished these books and I wanted to return them to you."

"Really?" He asked, taking them. Now he remembered: he'd lent her the Sara Douglass novels, The Wayfarer Redemption, as it was called. (BattleAxe, Enchanter, and Starman). "Come on in, tell me what you thought of them."

"Oh, well I should be getting back soon. I'm sort of hungry and it's getting close to suppertime at my house." She said. Jack laughed, not so much by the explanation than by Mary herself. Everything about her absolutely screamed 'meek' and her attitude itself seemed centered around an imaginary scenario that she lived out in her mind. If the conversation or situation diverted from what she imagined would happen, she seemed to freeze and not sure of what to do. In other words, she just needed to loosen up.

"Chill out, Mary. Your mom won't have a stroke if you miss a meal at her house. Besides, I was just about to cook anyway."

"Oh," Mary said pleasantly, "What were you having?"

"Well, I'm going to toast some bread, cut up some tomatoes, peel back some lettuce, and fry up some bacon. You know, I haven't had a good BLT in years? It just hit me this morning and I'm dying for one. Care to have one?"

"I, er..." Mary seemed to mull it over before smiling and saying, "Sure, I'd love to." She came in and sat down. Jack shut the door and scooted into the kitchen to cook up a storm. Mary sat herself at his kitchen table.

"So what'd you think of the books?" Jack asked.

"Oh, they were wonderful. It was such a wonderful tale and I never knew that fantasy could be so...well, fantastic. Although, I was a little sad for Faraday."

Jack turned the stove on and placed a skillet there, then took some bacon out. "Yeah, I sometimes thought that the author just hated her. It all turned out good in the end, though. I loved how each book seemed to perfectly capture the part of Axis's life and what he was at that time. In the first book, Battleaxe, that's exactly what he was, then he moved onto Enchanter, and then in the final book he ascended to Starman, where he was essentially a god with his wife."

"Oh, the romance was so well written. I must admit I love romance novels, but the twists this one had with Faraday and Azhure were so wonderful. And how Faraday was married to Axis's awful brother, it just made my heart melt when she finally got back with Axis and then, of course, it broke my heart when he rejected her for Azhure."

Jack laughed. "Right, but Azhure was the mother of his children."

Mary clenched her fists up and scrunched her face up. "Oh, that awful little Drago. I can't believe he conspired to kill his brother and he was only a baby!"

"Yeah, that was pretty clever." Jack fried up the bacon, leaving it briefly to cut up the tomatoes. "I thought the end with Wolfstar manipulating Gorgrael into killing Faraday instead of Azhure was clever."

"But he KILLED Faraday!" Mary whined.

"Yes, but if he had killed Azhure, Axis wouldn't have been able to kill Gorgrael." Jack countered. "And you have to admit, he was better off with Azhure than Faraday."

Mary smiled. "She got her revenge. Stuck him with another baby, she did."

"Yep, and he'll always have to look at the boy and know how badly he'd betrayed Faraday. So she did kind of get her revenge, didn't she?" He poured the bacon onto some napkins to soak the grease out and then pulled out the bread. "Do you like mayo on yours?"

"Please." Mary asked.

Jack got the sandwiches ready and set them on the table with a tall glass of tea to compliment the meal. The meal and the hours following it were a mix of eating and talking. Jack and Mary eventually sat down on the couch together and discussed books and more books. Jack had never sat down with someone and talked about the books he read. It was quite exciting and even a bit of a shock to find that Mary loved books as much as he did. In all the clamor and conversation, Jack had even forgotten to put a shirt one, leaving him talking with Mary in his PJs. If Mary was embarrassed by it, she didn't show it.

Eventually, he persuaded her to start on another fantasy novel: R.A. Salvatore's The Crystal Shard. He stated there wasn't really any romance in it like there was in the Wayfarer Redemption, but she promised that if she gave it a chance she would love it. Finally, the evening came to a close as Jack and Mary sat at opposite ends of the couch, reading their own respective novels.

Jack was had half-his legs sprawled on the couch, pointing towards Mary as he read and Mary was content to curl her legs under her as she did so. At one point, he caught Mary looking up from her book, smiling. What?" He asked.

"Isn't this quaint?" Mary asked. "Us just sitting here and reading?"

"Beats what I used to do for a living." Jack said, then clamped his mouth down before he realized it had left his mouth.

Mary, of course, grabbed the comment and pulled all the slack out of it. "What did you used to do?"

Jack sighed and closed his book. "Listen, Mary, I'd rather not discuss it. Besides, it doesn't matter anymore."

Mary closed her book, too. "Jack, do you realize that you are exactly like Derek Sharpe?"

Jack wrinkled his brow. "Who?"

"One of my favorite novels, 'Scars' by C.D. Harper. The main character is a housewife named Sarah who helps take in a homeless man named Derek Sharpe while her husband is gone eleven months of the year for his business. Over the course of the novel, she finds that he refuses to talk about his past and that his body is covered in mysterious scars. Just like you."

Jack swallowed and couldn't help but look down at his own scars. They zig- zagged across his chest, stomach, back, and shoulders, glaring back at him with contrasting bright pink. He had the sudden urge to put a shirt on.

"I guess it wasn't a happy ending, was it?" He guessed.

"No," Mary said, "Sarah and Derek fell in love with each other and had a passionate affair, but in the end Sarah's guilty conscience drove her to end it because she wanted to remain true to her husband. Derek, the man with no past, tells her that if she passes this up then she'll always regret it, because he loves her so much that he'll never be able to love another woman again. In the end, she tries to return to her husband only to find that he's having an affair with his secretary. She leaves him and tries to go back to Derek, but he's gone and she hears on the news that a man threw himself off a bridge. It was Derek, of course."

"Is there a point?" Jack asked.

Mary drew her lips into a tight line. "Oh...I had one, but when in was talking I forgot it. I guess I was just struck by the similarities between you and Derek. He was the charming, enigmatic romancer who never told of his past, but had the scars on his body to remind him. In the end, she found out that Derek was actually Warren Killings, who was her husband's former partner. After their business split, Derek was left with nothing thanks to Sarah's husband and was going to find a way to kill him, until he met Sarah. The scar's origins are never actually told, but she believes that her husband gave them to him when he tried to kill Derek. It's a very good book."

"Are you saying I'm a charming romancer?" Jack asked.

Mary didn't mean to, but she giggled. "Oh, Jack, you ARE rather charming, surely you must know that."

Jack smiled slyly, putting a finger to his chin. "The thought had occurred to me a few times."

"Tell me something." Mary said, setting her book to the side and straightening her dress. "Is it true what the ladies say about you? Did you really have seven girlfriends who all did you wrong?"

Jack nodded. "Every blessed one of them."

Then she asked a question so blunt, so personal that Jack was stunned by how simply she asked it. "What has that done to you?"

Jack opened his mouth a few times, working his jaw up and down trying to find an answer, "Well...I don't know."

"Jack, I think you have a genuine distrust for women, is that it?"

Jack stared at her. "Who are you, my shrink?"

"You can trust me, Jack."

"Like hell I can. How well do I know you, Mary? How much do you know about me? You don't know anything about me, not even if I told you everything there was to know about me, you still wouldn't know me."

"I believe that." Mary said, bluntly. "You're a very complex person, Jack. I think that's why you try to re-compensate your distrust of women by surrounding yourself with a group of men that you know you CAN trust. It's the relationship trust that you're easily afraid of, but for good reason: because you were betrayed seven times by women. But answer me this: was it because you trusted them, or was it because you simply chose the wrong kind of girl?"

Jack stared at mark, slack-jawed. This wasn't the meek librarian who'd come over for a simple BLT. "What in the world are you rambling about? What are you doing, going over my personal life in your spare time?"

Mary tilted her head to the side, looking that way as well. "Well, I gathered it from a few of our meetings as well as what Karen told me about your seven girlfriends, not to mention your fast friendships to the rest of the boys your age in town."

Jack laughed, "Oh, so you just drew a conclusion based on some gossip?"

"Pretty much."

"Whew," Jack wiped his brow. "Well, as long nobody's telling the truth about me, I'll be fine. How'd you string together all that psycho mumbo-jumbo?"

Mary whispered, "Psychology correspondence course."

"Okay." Jack whispered back, "Just as long as you keep it all to yourself."

Mary giggled. "Promise. I'd better get going. Thank you for the meal, Jack."

"Hey, my pleasure. Give the books a try and tell me what you think."

Mary got up to leave. "I'll finish them off. We should do this again, Jack. It was fun."

"Yeah, if 'Paging Dr. Freud' is your idea of fun."

"Sorry. It was a little theory I had to get off my chest." She stood by the door.

Jack leaned against the doorframe. "Come back on Saturday night. We'll have another book reading session and talk some more. You know, Mary, you're an intelligent person. No wonder you're writing a novel. You still have to let me proof-read it."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Mary said, fiddling suddenly with her hands, reverting back to 'Librarian Mary' as he came to call her. "It's not ready yet."

"Well, bring it by before long. I'd love to take a look at it. You going to need someone to walk you home?"

"No, I can find my way. Good night, Jack. I had fun. Next time, though, would you mind wearing a shirt and some proper pants?"

Jack laughed, looking down at his still well-cut body. "What? What's wrong with this?"

"You might give a girl bad ideas." She said slyly.

"Well, who said all those ideas are that bad?" Jack said, flexing a large bicep. "Best thing about owning my own farm: I don't have to check MY guns at the door."

Mary rolled her eyes. Jack was a cartoon character.

"Hey, I bet you've never seen this before." Jack then proceeded to twitch his pecs, making them jump up and down. Mary exploded into giggles and held her hand up, trying to block out Jack's dancing chest. "I'm leaving now."

"Come on, we were just having fun. Look, I take requests." He began to chase her as she started walking away from his house. "What's your flavor? Can-can, classical, mariachi?" Finally, he stopped as Mary ran down the road, laughing hysterically. Jack chuckled to himself and yelled out to her. "I'm here all week!" Jack shook his own head and went back inside. It was one of the oddest encounters he'd ever had. Mary, it seemed, now had the ice broken between them.

From that night on, Mary was no longer meek or shy in front of him, but laughing and talking as if they had always know each other. Jack soon realized that of all the people in the village, Mary had to be his intellectual equal. Not that he assumed himself smarter than everyone else, but no doubt he was the only one who'd built himself up off the ground and used his business know how and connections in high places to forge his fame. Not just any pea-brain could do that, so Jack assumed that no one was thinking on his level out of the village. But Mary. Mary was different.

Of course, it wasn't long before he began to regard her in the same way he had been regarding Popuri and Karen. She had her pluses and her minuses, but ultimately it seemed that she—like the other two—was carving herself onto him in a way. He hadn't really weighed it out to himself, but he was aware of the things that was drawing him to these girls: Karen had the looks, the body, the—as some call it—bam-bam-boom. Mary had little body to speak of. Even through her schoolgirl outfit—which drove Jack nuts, as he honestly had a thing for the outfit—he could tell she was rather flat- chested and likely had the same physique that she'd had since she was twelve.

And then there was Popuri, the odd one of the bunch. Sure, he'd kissed her now, but what did she have to offer? She wasn't as sexy as Karen and she was the opposite of Mary on the intellectual scale, a child in mind, really. So why was she endearing to him? When he thought about it while working in the field, he couldn't explain it until he was thinking one day. And while he was thinking, he was letting the Ace Valentine persona slip in as he day-dreamed. He stopped himself when he realized that he considered Popuri so pathetic, so homely, that he actually pitied her.

That's what it is, he told himself. He was just humoring her. The poor girl could never do as good as him and that was endearing somehow. So he gave her a kiss, probably the best she would ever have, but did that mean he wasn't going to be around her anymore?

No, he couldn't do that. Popuri, even though she didn't have Karen's body or Mary's mind, was still a nice person and he'd seldom found displeasure in being around her. Plus, she made good sandwiches. But the problem arose to Jack as he tended his fields that perhaps it was unwise to try and court three girls at once.

Ace Valentine slipped back in and told him, "You wuss! You're not married to those girls! You aren't promised to any of them! Who said you can't triple-dip if you don't want to."

That might hurt their feelings, he mused.

"Did any of those other girls consider YOUR feelings when they left you, or tried to stab you, or tried to steal all the things you owned? What do you owe the female race? No one said shopping around was evil, just get over it!"

Yeah, Jack told himself, there's no harm in being a little involved with three girls. And the competition between them might be healthy for them—even a little entertaining. It wouldn't be the first time girls had vied for his attention, though he doubted they would resort to fisticuffs over him. Of course, catfights between girls who liked him were probably the most entertaining thing he could think of.

Besides, what was he thinking about besides a little fling with either three? Marriage? HA! Jack above anyone else knew he wasn't the marrying type. He'd get bored with just one girl all the time. Settling down? White picket fence? 2.5 kids and a dog? That was a pipe dream for him. Jack settled into his routine, but he began to settle into it with the Ace Valentine persona taking the forefront of his own mind. Things, he knew, were easier with Ace in charge. He took charge, got things done, and when things didn't go right he blew them off or knocked them down.

No sir, there was nothing Ace Valentine couldn't do.


	13. Three Challenges for Ann

"HARVEST MOON: THE VALENTINE CONSPIRACY"

By Red Sonic

CHAPTER 13: "THREE CHALLENGES FOR ANN"

Female dramas aside, this was not to say that Jack's entire life revolved around three women. At best, he spent approximately 5% of his day thinking about Mary, Popuri, or Karen respectively (Or, during those _really_ lonely nights, when he sat back and fantasized about all three at once). Most of his time he devoted to the Old Time Farm; even before Summer hit, he had a plan. He ran it down for Cliff one Friday at the Inn.

Flanked at a table by Zack, Grey, Rick, Won, Kai, and Cliff, Jack poured out his plan over a few pints of Ann's Apple Cider during the Men's gathering on Friday night.

"See, it snows pretty much the whole winter, so I'm devoting mos to my time right now to crops. I figure three good harvests before the end of the season, then take a break with two harvests in the fall. At the end of Fall, I'll get a couple of cows and sheep to keep myself busy during Winter."

"Makes sense." Rick said. "More complicated than my plans, that's for sure."

"What plans would those be?" Zack elbowed Rick. "Pick up eggs, feed chicks, lather, rinse, repeat?"

Rick shrugged, humorless. "That's about it. What about next year, Jack?"

"When Spring hits, I split my farmland in half. Half for crops. I mean, seriously, just these three rows are killing both me and Cliff. The other half I'm going to line up with a fence and turn it into a pasture for my critters. It'll save me money on animal fodder. From there on out, I'll try and cruise with about two crops per season."

"Ah, jack-San," Won started, "If you need specialty crops, then I have a few at my place. Also, I have many, many other great items."

Jack scoffed, "Won, I don't want any of your snake oil aphrodisiacs."

"Ha-ha." Won laughed with his face downcast, "Laugh at me, Jack-san, but many marriages in this town stay healthy because of Won-San's famous Wife- Keeper formula."

"He's right." Zack said, "The ladies here are rather satisfied with their men. Hey, Won, is that what's in those little green bottles you sell to Duke and Basil and whatnot?"

"Trade secret." Won said, crossing his arms, "Gentleman never wags tongue. HA!"

"Amgio, you got issues." Kai said. "What I wanna know here is what everyone got planned for the Talent Festival."

"Oh, scoping out the competition, eh?" Cliff asked, snickering, "Why? What are YOU planning on doing?"

Kai just scratched his chin. "Well, if you want to know the truth, I was thinking of showing off some dance moves for the lovely mamacitas to enjoy. I used to be quite the dancer, ya know?"

"Well, that's an image we don't need to see." Jack said loudly, "You dressed up in a skin tight body stocking, prancing around like a fire-year old schoolgirl." The boys laughed and Kai spat something at Jack in his own language. Jack didn't know the language well, only enough to know it involved placing something where it didn't belong.

"I was thinking of showing off my superior wire pulling skills." Grey said, laughing.

"Yeah," Zack put in, "And I can show how well I can bounce. God, I hated bouncing. Did I tell you guys that?"

"No." Jack said, "Why? What's wrong with bouncing?"

"Aw, it's just when people know you're a bouncer, they ask you to beat people up for them. Even worse is other bouncers. I was into it, but some guys were INTO it, thought bouncing is everything, and they hang out with other bouncers and talk about bouncing and they'd go to the gym together and pump up for bouncing and swap bouncing stories. It's fun until you realize these guys are just getting off on themselves."

The table up and called for more of Ann's Apple Cider. Greg had just brought them over when the door to the Inn suddenly burst in and Ann marched right inside as if she was supposed to be there. She looked at all the blank faces staring at her and she shouted, "WHAT? I LIVE HERE! I CAN COME BACK IF I WANT!"

Duke cleared his throat. "Er, Ann, you know this is a sort of men's only thing. Thin k you can scoot back with the ladies?"

Ann's face grew red. "That's it! I'm tired of this whole treating me like a girl thing! Look," She stood up on a table and looked down at the men in the Inn, "I want you guys to imagine what it's like sitting in with the women. No beer, no loud talking, keeping your voices down, no passing gas, no 'Sell My Wife'."

"That'd be horrible." Cliff said in mock horror. "Oh, the pain!"

"No spitting." Saibara said.

"The griping, the complaining, the utter lack of ill-refinement." Jack added. "I'd...I'd rather go to hell!"

"Exactly!" Ann shouted, "It SUCKS! I can't stand it there anymore, so I'm spending Friday's with you guys-even if I have to work while I'm doing so." She jumped down off the table. She looked at her father, pointed her finger at him, and cried, "Why didn't you give me a penis?"

"I would have, but I like mine. I didn't want to give it up." Doug answered, sending the Inn into riotous laughter. The laughter died down when Duke slammed his mug on the table several times, calling for quiet. When he had everyone's attention, he looked around.

"Alright, men, I think we have a decision to make."

"Indeed," Jack said, raising his mug, "We are at an impasse!"

Duke nodded, "Right, this is the first time in memory a woman—no more than a girl, really—has ever asked to take part in Friday's festivities here at our sacred sanctuary from the opposite gender. What should we do about that?"

"I say we vote." The Mayor said. "Let the people decide."

"Men, vote now. All for Ann coming here, raise hands," Duke looked about. Of the sixteen men present, about half raised their hands—mostly the older men who liked their tradition kept intact. "Alright, that's eight counts. For those for it?" The other half raised their hands. Duke rubbed his jaw. "Hmmm, this is a problem."

"How about a challenge?" Cliff suggested.

"How so?" Won asked.

"Alright, here's what we'll do." Cliff said, standing up. "We'll set three challenges to Ann and if she can pass them, I say we let her stay for Friday nights. If she wants to stay, let her earn it, right? Who's with me?"

The Inn bobbed heads in agreement.

"What kind of tests?" Ann asked warily.

"Three Tests," Cliff said, stepping over behind her and placing his hands on her shoulder and leaning closer to her. "A Test of Fortitude, a Test of Strength, and a Test of Wits."

"Okay," Ann said, "What's first. I can take anything you can throw at me."

"Alright then." Cliff turned to Doug. "Doug, get a pitcher of Ann's Apple Cider. Not the kind you serve, I mean the HARD Cider."

"What're you going to do?" Doug asked, running to grab the pitchers.

Jack caught on. "The Test of Fortitude: DRINKING!"

"That's right." Cliff grinned, "That is, if she thinks she can handle it. Now who's the best drunk in this here town?"

Duke jumped up. "That would be me! I've been waiting for this rematch for a long time!" He sat down at a table and Ann sat opposite him. Doug put out the mugs of Hard Cider and began pouring mugs. Ann's supporters rallied behind her, shouting encouragement and her detractors stood behind Duke, egging him on.

It started with one mug each at a time. They began downing mugs quickly, then going at a slower pace so their stomach didn't explode. They glared at each other, each waiting for the other to quit, or fall out. The Hard Cider worked fast and before they knew it, both were having a hard time concentrating on the task at hand, but Ann was clearly in control of more senses than Duke was. Jack kept the Cider flowing and told Duke that all drinks for the house were on his tab. (That made Jack rather popular) Bets started getting made over who would win not just the Test, but the challenges as well.

It came down to a half mug each. Duke and Ann were sweating and eyeing their mugs warily. The house shushed as Ann held up one finger, and then reached for her mug. Her shaking hand wobbled and shook as she reached for it, but she grasped it firmly and lifted it to her mouth. She stalled as she placed it to her lips, then tilted her head back slowly. The men tensed, waiting for her to fall over as she tilted waaay back and downed the last of her mug. When all there was to drink was foam, she slammed it back down on the counter to the roars of approval from her supporters.

Duke just scoffed and cockily reached down to grab his mug. He put it to his lips, pausing slightly, and the titled back to do just as Ann had done. Unfortunately, the results were the same and a bout of wooziness resulted in Duke's loss of balance as he tipped over and fell out of his chair. The Inn roared in laughter as Saibara and Grey helped Duke to another chair. Duke shook his head and sighed, "That blashted girl! She's a menace!"

"Yeah, a menace to your wine cellar!" Ann cried out. She sighed and let out a terrifying belch that echoed through the Inn's walls. "What's next?" She asked.

Cliff clapped his hands together, dying to get to this one. "The next Test is the Test of Wits. Ann, do you know the song 'Sell My Wife?"

Ann opened her mouth, but then closed it an nodded sweetly, smiling at him.

Cliff said, "Well, then, you're next challenge shall be to sing up at least three new verses of Sell My Wife and you can't stop to think about them, either."

"Hey, hey, hey!" She said, with only the lightest of slurs in her voice. "I'm about half-drunk here and you want me singin' and all that?"

Cliff nodded.

Ann shrugged. "Okay."

Cliff had her sit on a table and turned to the men. "Okay, we'll sing the first verse and after that, Ann has to take it away and do at least three new verses or else she fails." The men began humming to the sway of the old song and they all belted out,

"Sell my wife and take no strife,"

"She moans and yells and bores me,"

"So sell her quick and make it fast,"

"And let all her friends adore me,"

They turned to Ann, who belted out at the top of her lungs.

"Sell my wife, I wish no more,"

"Her face is long and plain,"

"She lays around and sleeps in bed,"

"Till I hide down in shame,"

She followed through with:

"Sell my wife, that crying old bag,"

"Before I come back from war,"

"If she's here when I get back,"

"I'll pack on back for more,"

And finally, she finished with:

"Sell my wife and give me ale,"

"I'd rather have my liquor,"

"When she's gone, I'll drink all night,"

"Getting drunk and drunker quicker,"

She finished off and the men howled with laughter. Ann cast as superior smile at Cliff, who could only applaud her and laugh. Ann hopped down from her table and, though a little wobbly, remained on her feet to ask, "Bring on the last one!"

Jack brought out a small table from behind the counter and placed two chairs on either side of it. He sat in one side and propped his elbow on it. "Last is the Test of Strength: ARM WRESTLING!" The Inn erupted into cheers and howls of approval. Ann stared at Jack, skeptically at first, but then she cast her face with a stone-cold determined look and rolled up her sleeves and she sat down. "Now you're talkin'." She said. "Test indeed,"

Ann set her hand into his and they wrapped their fingers around each other's fists. Cliff came by and put his hand on top of theirs. "Alright, I want a nice clean match, which means don't be like Jack's ex-girlfriends. Alright, GO!" Cliff yanked his hands off and for a moment it seemed like Ann and Jack hadn't started, but then the reality set in that they really were pushing against each other and the guys began to root for them—Those that wanted Ann gone cheered for Jack and those who wanted Ann to stay cheered for Ann.

Ann pushed on a burst strength and before Jack realized it his hands had not only been pushed down, but Ann slapped it against the table in insult and jumped up, her hands in the air and shouting, "WOO!" to a mix of cheers and jeers. The look of Jack's confidence dropped. He couldn't have lost THAT much muscle, could he? He slammed his hands on down on the table. Ann spun around, her face flushed, and stared at him. Jack sat down and propped up his arm again, "Best two-out-of-three."

Ann was already back in the seat, grasping Jack's arm. They glared at each other as Cliff held their hands, "GO!"

Ann fought hard, but this time Jack had recounted his resolve and drove it home. To her credit, Ann held on, her arm fighting the whole way down as Jack slowly tried to push her arm down. She growled and strained, her face turning red as Jack finally got the back side of her hand to tap the counter lightly. Ann and Jack sighed, releasing their grips and flexing their arms to the roar of the small crowd.

Cliff came up and whispered in Ann's ear. She nodded and stared at Jack, who merely grinned and set his arm again on the table. "Last count, Ann. Think you're man enough?"

"More man than you, Mr. Farmer." Ann said, getting a rise of taunts from the Inn's occupants.

Jack snarled. "Oh that's it, tomboy, you're going down like last year!"

"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots, Farmboy. You know, I have a couple pairs of panties that would fit you just fine." She sneered.

Jack clasped his massive claw around Ann's now not-so-tiny hand. They stared menacingly at each other, psyched and ready to go as soon as Cliff lifted his hand.

"GO!"

Ann and Jack strained, each struggling against the other's arm. Their arms shook and trembled from the strain, their faces going red and redder, veins popping out on their neck and forehead. The arms wavered back and forth, never dipping past the point of no return, but always their opponent managed to come back with a sudden second wind.

Finally, Ann suddenly moved forward, putting the arm closer to her chest and Jack found that he couldn't push down on her arm anymore. She growled and then cried out loud in a wordless howl before putting all she had into her arm. She pushed Jack's arm to the side and caught the poor boy by surprise. Jack flipped to the side and landed on the floor. Ann's supporters cheered.

Ann cried out and even those who hadn't wanted her there stood up and applauded her effort. She had passed all three tests with all the grace of a stampeding buffalo. Cliff and Jack went to either side of Ann and lifted her up on their shoulders to the cheers of the entire male population of Flowerbud. She raised her arms in the air and celebrated her victory, her right to be one of the guys.

Much later that night, the wives had to come in and were bothered to find that the biggest party of the summer was going on and Ann was the center of attention for it. To them, it wasn't lady-like, but then again neither was Ann. The wives usually stood at the door, their man would spot them, and they bid farewell to the rest. Not this time. Manna, Anna, and Sasha all stood at the door with cross looks on their faces while their husbands reveled inside and even urged their wives to come inside and join the fun.

Eventually, the three wives had to come in and pull their men out of the Inn by the arm. Elli came in, embarrassed, and had to pull the Doc away from all the revelry, telling him that he was too outstanding a physician to be doing this kind of thing. Never mind that it was the happiest she'd ever seen the man before. Eventually, it was just the bachelors and even they tapered off at about one or two in the morning. It just wasn't as much fun without everyone else in on it. The stragglers wandered on back home until it was pretty much Jack, Cliff, and Ann at the Inn. Doug had already stumbled to bed and Ann promised she'd lock up.

Jack finally yawned and looked at the time. "Holy crap, I can't believe this. Look, you two, I gotta get going. Cliff, be at work tomorrow. Come at about nine or so, kay?'

Cliff gave Jack a wobbly thumbs-up and Jack ambled up out of his chair and out through the door. Ann tried to get out of her seat and found her legs to be unreliable at best. She fell back into her chair and yawned, setting her head on the table. "I don't know about this."

She looked over at Cliff, who had his head in his arms. The sound of his snoring told her just how out of it he was. She sighed and jumped to her feet, not wobbly in the least. She wasn't about to let on that she could drink ALL the Cider in Flowerbud and not get the least bit drunk. She locked the door to the Inn and then went back over to Cliff, nudging him on the arm. "Get up, fur-head. Time for bed."

Cliff snored in response. She nudged him again, and he bobbed back and forth to her touch, but he didn't awaken. Ann shook her head and then scooped Cliff up in her arms, easily carrying him up the stairs to his bedroom. She set him down in the bed and pulled the covers over him. Cliff stirred, his eyes wandering sleepily in a half-drunk haze.

Ann stroked his hair and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "Night, Cliff."

"Hmmmhmm." He mumbled, closing his eyes again. Ann stood up to leave and when she reached the door, she heard him mumble and slur, "Night, Ann. Hmmmnum."

She smiled at his sleeping form. "Night, Cliff."

"Hmm, love ya."

Ann felt her cheeks suddenly burning when he said that. She smiled as she closed the door and said, "Yeah, I love me, too."

Ann shut the light off and as Cliff drifted into a hazy sleep, Ann went on to lie awake in bed for hours, unable to shake Cliff's little comment. She wondered just how much was true and just how much was her Cider.


	14. Sweet Summer's Embrace

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: "SWEET SUMMER'S EMBRACE"**

Early into the first Summer Harvest came the first festival of the season: The Beach festival. Kai hosted, of course, and let Jack know what was excepted. It was just a day of BBQ and swimming and a swimming contest. Jack had to buy some swimming trucks from the General Store, and he spotted Cliff some money for a pair of his own. The two of them plotted the day ahead of time and made sure they only did enough work to last to ten, when the festival started.

So now they arrived and it was quite evident when they arrived that they definitely put the rest of the village to shame as far as physique.

When it comes to pro wrestling, Jack and Cliff both knew, it wasn't enough to just be a great wrestler, you had to LOOK like a true champ. Spare time that wasn't spent on the road or sleeping was spent at the gym, keeping hard bodies remaining hard. While it'd been months since Jack had been to an actual gym, it seemed he was going to keep the same physique. His pecs and six-pack still stood out as much as they had the day he'd walked out, though their lines had gone down somewhat. Cliff was a smaller fellow, so his physique was a bit slimmer than Jack's but still more defined than any other fellow. Kai, while still an active wrestler, had a slim, wiry physique—meant more for a high-flying style of wrestling. He stood about a large BBQ pit wearing purple trunks and his purple bandana. Smiling, he flipped burgers, steaks, and hot dogs on his grill, wearing an apron that said 'I fought the Grill and the Grill won'.

"Hey, guys!" Kai waved Jack and Cliff over. Jack was wearing a red pair of swimming trunks and Cliff was wearing a yellow pair. Half the village was already there—including the Poultry Farm. Sitting by the docks and lying on the some blankets under the complete shade of a large umbrella was Lily, being watched by Popuri and Rick.

Jack looked and did a double take. From that day on, he had a new appreciation for Popuri. Her always worn red and white dress left everything to the imagination, but she was outside in a conservative one- piece red swimsuit. Upon the removal of her dress, Jack could see that Popuri had a shape that rivaled Karen's with long legs that curved in all the right spots and surprisingly, a rack you could do Shakespeare off of. A crude thought, for sure, but to Jack it added points in his mind to the things he actually liked about Popuri. She spied him from afar and coolly turned her head, not smiling at him. Still mad, no doubt, from his yelling at her. For some reason, that bothered him.

No time for female concerns, though, as Kai came over. "Me Amigos! Come and sit, I've got the finest food in the world cooked up by the international hands of yours truly." Kai said, walking back to his grill, where he flipped some burgers. His already growing pile of food slimmed some as Jack and Cliff dug in and claimed their spots at the end of the dock, where they set up their equipment: lawnchairs, fishing poles, ice chest filled with drinks, and a CD player of Jack's playing some CCR (Credence Clearwater Revival, for the uninformed), one of his favorite bands. They kicked back, tossed on their sunglasses, cast their lines out, and enjoyed the summer afternoon while everyone else swam and ate.

It wasn't long before everyone was swimming—even Jack, who had never been a big swimmer. Frodo was brought and running about. Popuri seemed to take the most interest in him. Jack and Cliff were facing the south side of the docks, so they could see the beach and everyone on it when Doug and Ann, the last of the village to join, came in. Jack let out a low whistle. "You see that?"

Staring through their sunglasses, Cliff nodded. "Yes, indeed."

The source of their stares was Ann, wearing her usual pair of coveralls, only these had the legs cut-off and she wore a bikini top. "Think we should re-name her Daisy Duke?" Jack asked.

"You should have been with me when I first got there that night, when she swung the bat at us."

"Why?"

"She went up the stairs and all she was wearin' was that big T-shirt." Cliff looked over at Jack, who suddenly let his mouth drop as he realized what Cliff was describing. "No-?"

"None." Cliff finished. "Nothin'."

Jack laughed. "Er...did she know?"

"I don't think so, an' I ain't gonna tell her." Cliff said.

Jack whistled lowly. "Yes, indeed, I wish I lived in the Playboy mansion with you."

"It's not like that. But I DO spend most of my time with Ann. It's hard to avoid her and Doug, I mean they're always there. But it's alright, it's like being at home with my folks." Cliff sighed. "I miss em, I really do."

"Maybe at the end of the year we can both get out and visit our own folks. You're folks don't know about me, do they?"

"They hate wrestling." Cliff answered. "They don't know you from Junkyard Dog."

"Well, that's oblivious enough for me." Jack answered. He spied Karen tossing a Frisbee back and forth with Mary and felt a sudden irony at the scene. He shrugged it off. Karen, of course, looked dazzling in a purple two-piece. Jack had to be conscious not to stare for too long. The sight of so much female flesh reminded him that for all the bad his old girlfriends had done to him, he had gone almost half the year without any form of intimacy with a woman. While to some people it wasn't such a big deal, to Jack it'd been a perk of his job that he'd NEVER gone without. While the morals of sex before marriage had been flung out the window long ago, Jack had been careful whom he chose to share his bed with—always making sure he wore protection and got himself tested very regularly.

In fact, the woman he'd most been intimate with was never even his girlfriend. Mira.

Yes, Mira Lovelltsik (Aka Mira Love), one of the AWF's Divas, a very beautiful woman who hailed from a poor Russian family to make her success as one of the federation most successful female wrestlers and "managers". If Jack ever had to get into a contest with someone about who the most beautiful women they'd ever slept with was, Jack would have won hands down. Mira was, in a word, stunning . Blonde, beautiful, with a body nothing short of a super-model. Their relationship was purely physical, each wanting the same thing and receiving it without the messy results of a relationship. He felt bad now because he had rushed past her when he'd thrown his final match. Tears streaming from her eyes, he couldn't remember what she'd said, only that he had pointedly blocked out what she'd cried and torn his arm from her grasp. He wondered how she was doing.

The last time. Jack sighed, remembering that last time he HAD been intimate. Indeed, it was a sort of farewell, when he thought about it. Mira HAD been the last person he'd slept with on the eve of his final match. Once again, they had used each other in that old way, but in the end, Jack had held her in his arms and cradled her—whereas normally he'd retreated to his own side of the bed and slept on his side. Still, intimacy wasn't something he'd easily attain here. His celebrity didn't allow him to pick up any girl he wanted. The second he slept with any girl here, it was all over. He'd have to stick with that girl, because he had no doubts that sleeping around wasn't well liked here. Ann, Popuri, Mary, Elli, Karen. All eligible bachelorettes, but all living a clean lifestyle. Jack knew he wasn't about to intrude on that.

So he was resigned to being sexually frustrated. Oh well. More energy he could burn hammering into those rocks in the mine.

A sharp whistle snapped Jack out of his thoughtful trance. Rick was on the shore, waving him and Cliff down. The two got from their chairs and walked down, where Zack, Gray, Harris, Kai, and Rick stood. Rick grinned as they approached. "You guys ready?"

"For what?" Jack asked.

"The swimming contest." Rick announced. "We always have one. You guys are in, right?"

Cliff and Jack looked to each other and shrugged. "Sure." "Why not?"

Rick pointed to a buoy floating in the distance. "Swim out there and then come back. The prize to the winner is a hundred dollars!"

"I don't need that." Jack said, "I'll pass. I'm not a great swimmer, anyway."

Kai eyed Jack. "What's wrong, Fabio? Can't take a little water?"

Jack narrowed his eyes as he spied Kai, who always knew how to get under Jack's skin. "Oh really? Care to make it interesting?"

Kai cracked his neck back and forth. "Fine. What you have in mind?"

"I win, I get the money and YOU have to be my farm hand for a week." Jack grinned, but Kai grinned back. "I hear ya. And if I win, I get the cash and YOU have to be my waiter for a week."

"Deal." Jack said, slapping his hand into Kai's. The two shook on it and turned to the face the water. The young men all took their places at the edge of the water while the Mayor, on the docks, blew the whistle to send them out. Jack knew he was in trouble as soon as he hit the water and began sloshing out until it was deep enough to swim.

The second Kai hit the water, he dove head first and started swimming like a dolphin. Jack went in and started swimming as best he could, but it soon became clear that Jack was, bar none, the worst swimming in the village. Everyone passed him up and in fact by the time Rick, the second fastest, reached the buoy, Kai had already tagged it and was on his way back. He gave Jack's head a playful and insulting slap as he passed, laughing as he did so. Jack knew it was futile. Bottom line: he sucked as swimming. But Jack was still a prideful man and he refused to give up the challenge. By the time he had reached the beach, everyone else was done and finished and almost dry.

Gasping and heaving, Jack crawled on the beach and fell into the sand. Cliff and Kai laughed, shaking their heads. Kai laughed hard, "How the mighty have fallen. Here's your apron, Fabio. I'll let you have a ten minute break, then you gotta start serving the food."

To his credit, Jack accepted his loss without complaint and becoming Kai's waiter for the rest of the day—and week as well. Dusk fell and the food was served, much to everyone's delight. The playing and fun went well on into the night, with Jack delivering Kai's food, but given enough time to enjoy a few minutes in the water with his friends. Together, he and Cliff proceeded to deliver their most devastating wrestling moves to each other using the shallow water as a cushion. In the most honest way, it felt good to Jack to be throwing another human body around. They had a hoot and soon their female companions joined in, with Ann and Karen becoming Cliff and Jack's new human projectiles as they threw them into the water from the shallows. Stu and May asked to be thrown, but Barley and Elli didn't think it was so safe. Still, when it was dark and harder to see, Jack and Cliff used Stu for a ball, tossing him in the water back and forth to each other.

Night drew to a close and it got too cool to be in the water. The older folks grew weary and went home, leaving the younger ones by themselves and gathered by a campfire. Zack, Gray, Mary, Karen, Popuri, Jack, Cliff, Ann, Elli, and Rick all gathered around, relaxing from their day of activities. Talking, swapping stories, Gray, Cliff, and Kai sharing tales of the world outside the village. Jack was silent on that, unable to talk without exposing his sordid past, which he wanted nothing more than to avoid.

He listened idly, thinking about his life in general. How he had felt even all the more relaxed upon arriving at Flowerbud, but still feeling as if he were stressed, pressured to do something but he didn't know what. He felt as if there was something he needed to do, something he had to get off his chest, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

The girls, most of all, were fascinated by their stories, wondering what life was like outside their comfy village. Elli asked about the medical facilities, to which they told her of hospitals, cancer centers, big colleges that produced doctors and nurses every year. Karen wanted to hear from Kai what other countries looked like—places he'd been to like Japan, England, Mexico. Somehow, Jack got wrangled into it and began speaking about the places with Kai, telling of what they were like along with Kai.

"Have you ever been to Paris?" Karen asked at one point.

Jack thought and nodded, suddenly remembering his trip. "I went there. One time." He suddenly looked lost in thought.

Kai cocked an eyebrow. "I remember that." He said suddenly. Jack snapped his head around, casting nasty glare at Kai, who suddenly remembered that no one knew he and Kai had met before. "Ah...that is I remember you telling me before about it."

"Jack, when did you go to Paris?" Mary asked.

"About two years ago." Jack said, "I went with...someone."

"One of your fabled girlfriends?" Zack asked, laughing.

"No, this was a different girl."

Kai suddenly had a light go off. "Mira?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, her."

"Who's Mira?" Cliff asked.

"Some girl." Jack answered passively.

"Wait! Not Mira Love? The supermodel and whatnot?" Cliff's question turned everyone's head to Jack, who merely nodded and shrugged.

"You certainly attract a different crowd, don't you?" Karen asked. Jack merely nodded. The trip to Paris had been, at best, a nonstop hotel stay with Mira It was the first time he'd spent so much time with one female, given so much effort into another person. He'd only been in town for one match, a weak one, he assumed because he couldn't remember it. It was the trip that he and Mira had embarked on their newfound physical relationship and one that Jack seldom forgot.

"Were you and her close?" Mary asked, narrowing her eyes.

Jack shrugged again, as if it were inconsequential. "Of course. Only in a physical sense."

"Meaning you only had sex with her?" Gray asked.

Again, Jack just shrugged. "Well, after seven mishaps, you think I was eager for another girlfriend?"

"I take it she wasn't your first?" Cliff asked.

"Not even close." Jack said, "I'd say I was sixteen when I lost mine."

"What're you guys talking about?" Popuri asked, "First what? What'd you lose?"

Karen leaned over to Popuri and whispered in her ear for a second before she went, "Oh. Okay."

"Sixteen?" Zack asked, somewhat taken back. "A little early, don't you think?"

"Well, I couldn't help it." Jack said slyly. "She was my science teacher and I had the biggest thing for her. Let's just say when she started giving me the green light after school I couldn't help but go ahead." Jack just laughed in spite of the situation. It was true he'd lost his to his high school science teacher. To her credit, she wasn't biased towards him and was eager to dish out his C- at the end of the year. Mrs. Wilkinson held a special place in Jack's heart. He looked to Zack. "What about you?"

Zack looked genuinely surprised. "What?"

"When'd you lose yours? Who was your first?" Jack asked, leaning forward. The big man just shrugged, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Er...well, the truth is I didn't have a first. It was never a big concern of mine, ya know?"

"So you're still a virgin?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows. Zack didn't look to happy at admitting that, but he nodded. "Got a problem with it?"

"No." Jack answered truthfully. "Actually, it's very admirable. I didn't have that kind of self-control when I was younger. What about you, Cliff?"

Cliff finished off a chunk of hot dog before answering. "Senior prom. Me and my high school sweetheart. Backseat of my truck."

"Not very original." Jack said.

"Hey, it's an American tradition." Gray laughed, "Why not?"

"You did the same?" Karen asked.

"Naw. I, er, did the same thing as Jack. My first was an older woman. Neighbor's wife was a bit lonely. Apparently, her husband was a bit of a workaholic. I mowed their lawn each week. When I hit seventeen, I guess she'd had enough of watching me and decided to do something."

"No work on your part?" Jack asked.

Gray shrugged, "Man, I was seventeen. That was probably the most confused I'd ever been. The woman pushed me on the couch and pretty much had her way with me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't even think about protection, there's no telling what could have happened. But I didn't have the guts to tell her no or tell anyone about it. Truth be told, you guys are the first I've told."

"So what happened?" Zack asked.

"I got a job and went to school. Technical college during the day and working during weekends meant that Mrs. Richmond wasn't able to seduce me on a weekly basis. That, and her lawn didn't get cut."

Jack and Cliff snickered, rolling their eyes.

"In the end," Gray continued, "She and her husband had a huge fight. She left, I think. Went to live with her sister, or so I heard. Oh well."

"No one since?" Jack asked. Gray shook his head. "My classmates at Tech School were pretty stoked to offer their own sexual adventures. Kinda made me sick of sex, hearing about it for two years every day. What about you, Karen?"

Karen looked shocked. "What? Why would you think I'd lost my virginity? Do I look like some kind of hussy to you?"

Gray cocked an eyebrow. "You didn't answer my question."

Karen scoffed and crossed her arms. "No. I'm a virgin. Thank you."

"Me too." Popuri put in. "Mom's pretty strict when it comes to that kind of thing. If she found out I'd done such a thing, I'd be dead—especially when dad gets home."

Rick nodded. "She's right. If there's one thing mom drilled into us, it's not getting involved until after a wedding night. Don't know why, though. I once heard dad ask her why she was so strict with this and she said something about not wanting us like that "brute and his hussy". Not sure what that meant, though."

No one did, it seemed.

"Kai?" Rick asked.

Kai shrugged. "I was eighteen, amigo. Third girlfriend. It was my fault, to tell the truth. Eighteen and a virgin? My friends mocked me every time they saw me. I was determined to have sex before I went off to wrestling school. I tried with my first two girlfriends, but they didn't want any part of it. Finally, I swallowed my pride and went out with the easiest girl in school."

"I take it that worked?" Asked Jack.

"First date. It was all she wanted to do." Kai shook his head. "Kinda sad now that I think about it."

"Dear Lord, I hope you used protection." Gray said.

Kai laughed. "The easiest girl in a small Mexican town? Man, I double- wrapped for sure." Kai, Cliff, Gray, and Jack laughed, but no one else seemed to know what they were laughing about. Crude as it was, it was simply their lives and all they had to do was laugh at their past hardships now that they had Flowerbud to live in. No past worries, no worries at all.

"Mary?" Jack asked, keeping the topic going.

Mary shook her head. "Virgin."

Cliff turned to Ann. "What about you, Ann? You still have your virginity?"

Ann spat into the fire and smirked, shaking her head. "I lost virginity in a bicycle accident."

Every stared at her, silent, minds working furiously to both comprehend how that could happen. Ann merely stayed silent, daring someone to ask her. No one did, though. Jack echoed everyone's sentiment when he said, "Okay, it's time to go home."

Everyone broke up. The fire had gone down to small flames and embers, leaving a soft glow to go with the even softer lap of waves on the shore. They broke and went their own ways, gathering their things. Jack was packing his stuff up at the end of the dock when he heard footfalls on the dock. He looked down and though most of the others were gone, save Kai slipping into his small hut, he saw Popuri approaching him and felt the small tightening in his chest. For some reason, he feared this confrontation. She approached him and stared for a minute. Jack stared back and continued putting up his stuff. "Hey." He said.

"Hi." She said back. "Can I talk to you?"

"Its a free country." Jack replied.

"Jack, I'm being serious. Can't you take me seriously? I get so sick of no one taking me seriously." She said it with such conviction, Jack knew she was being truthful. Jack sighed and decided he'd rather not have anyone potentially listening in. "Hey. Wanna help me to my house? Cliff seems to have abandoned me. Grab Frodo for me, okay?"

"Sure." Popuri grabbed his dog and they started walking. They walked in silence until they had passed through Rose Square, when Jack finally asked, "Are you still mad at me?"

"How did you know that?" She asked, surprised.

Jack smiled. "Popuri, I may be a lot of things, but I'm not blind. You haven't spoken to me in weeks, ever since I got back, and you've been giving me the cold shoulder every time I look at you. Now cut the crap and tell me what's wrong."

"Hmph!" She said, putting her hand on her hips and casting a haughty look at him. "Jack Harris, you hurt my feelings screaming at me like that. You know what I'm talking about?"

"Oh I remember." Jack laughed, "Maybe that'll teach you not to burst into people's houses without knocking first."

"You still didn't have to yell at me like that!" She pouted.

Jack sighed and shook his head. She was, what, only eighteen to his twenty- five? Boy, she had some growing up to do. "Listen, Popuri, I want to explain myself to you. When you came in on me that day, I'd been asleep for about two hours. And before that two hours, I'd been awake for three days. Have you ever been awake for three days? If you have a chance to do that, by all means pass on it. I'd been driving nonstop for three days with ZERO sleep and by the time I got to bed, I was ready to kill someone. When you came in, I was really, really cranky."

"Hmph!" She said again, sighing. "Well, you didn't have to yell at me like that!"

"And you didn't have to come in without permission. Did you think about that?"

She mulled the logic in her head for a moment before lowering her head. "I'm sorry, Jack."

He turned to face her and said, "Yeah, I'm sorry too. So go and get over it, right?"

"I suppose." She said, pouting still. They arrived at Jack's house and set his stuff on the porch. "Hold on." He said, disappearing into the house. He emerged a moment later, turning the porch light on so she could see. Jack emerged with a box in his hands and he held it out. "For you."

Popuri's mood brightened immediately, showing Jack she wasn't a hard person to please. She squealed at the prospect of getting a present and tore the box open. Jack smiled, "Remember you told me you loved flowers? Well, I thought you might like this."

Popuri opened it and gasped slowly, pulling out a gorgeously hand-crafter glass rose, colored green-and-red to look like a real one. She turned it over in her hands slowly, adoring it. "Oh Jack!" She said, looking up at him. "It's beautiful! You're such a sweetheart." She threw her arms around his neck, no small feat for a man who was 6'2, but she managed to leap up and Jack caught her with his arms as she hugged them, then planted a big kiss on his cheek before she set herself down again.

"Thank you, Jack! I'll treasure it always. Oh Jack, this is the best thing anyone's ever given to me."

Jack shrugged, never telling her it was a just a small gift from a souvenir shop. To her, it might as well have been made from diamond and gold. She clutched it to her chest and waved as she left, thanking him profusely. Jack smiled genuinely, not feeling this good since his early days of stardom, when he'd seen the looks on kids faces when they left with his autograph or a picture of him with them.

He rolled into the bed and slept, waking in the morning on time to see Cliff coming into his property as Jack was busy nursing a soda to try and get his attention level up. He spied Cliff coming up to his home, smiling and whistling.

"Mornin' Jack! Awful nice day, ain't it?" He said cheerfully.

Jack narrowed his eyes at Cliff, wondering. "Who're you? The weatherman? How do you know what kind of day it is?"

Cliff just grinned wider and said, "Hey, what can I say? I'm lovin' it here. Fresh air, beautiful skies, nice peeps. What more could I ask for?"

Jack scoffed and stood to his feet, walking towards Cliff with a strange look on his face. "What's wrong with you?"

"Huh?" Cliff looked confused, taken back for a moment. "W-what do you mean?"

"Something is wrong with you. You're acting too different, this isn't like you." Jack said, starting to smile.

Cliff just shrugged. "What? I'm just happy today, that's all."

Jack nodded, laughing lightly. "I'll bet you are."

"Yeah. So, uh, we gonna get to work?"

Jack shook his head silently, leaning forward as if he had discovered something profound. He pointed his finger at Cliff and half-shouted, "You got laid, didn't you?"

Cliff rocked as if he'd been struck in the face. "What?"

"You had sex last night! I can see it on your face!" Jack said, stepping towards him as his farm hand stepped backwards. "Don't lie to me, Cliff, I've seen it before! You got laid!"

"Sssh!" Cliff said, "Come on, you wanna stand up and tell the WHOLE town? Sheesh!"

"Ah-HA!" Jack cried, "So I was right. Who was it? Come on, scooter, don't leave me out on the details."

"Alright, alright." Cliff said nervously. "Look, it's not like all that. Hell, I didn't even know it was gonna happen."

Jack started walking. "Grab a water can and tell me as we work. It was Ann, wasn't it?"

"Of course it was Ann." Cliff said, speaking a semi-hushed tone, as if the plants had no right to hear. "Look, you ain't seen it, but Ann and I been kinda close since I got here."

"I noticed."

"Yeah, well what you didn't notice is that behind closed-doors, she's a real softy at heart, ya know? All that tomboy stuff? She turns it off like a light when she's by herself—or with me. Every night for the last few weeks, she comes into my room at bedtime and we just chill, ya know? It's cool, cause Ann's GOT to be the coolest girl I've ever known. It started as just talkin', but then we started goin' outside and walkin' around an' stuff. Well, we were playin' at the beach earlier last week and she started tryin' to rassle with me and somehow I gave her a kiss."

"This fluff is nice for a pillow, but when are we going to get to the REAL topic?"

"Hey, it's like a big match, okay? You don't just jump to your finisher and go for the pin, you gotta have buildup, right?"

Jack scoffed, but agreed.

"So anyway, we made out on the beach, but nothin' else. She hasn't said anything about it since then, so I figure she's kind of embarrassed. I didn't want to push it, so I let her be. Well, last night we get back to the hotel an' we're talkin' an' stuff an' she asks me what I thought of the beach last week. I told her it was cool and she asks if I wanted to do it again. What's a gentleman to do, eh?" He and Jack shrug, knowing both would have done the same.

"So it goes a little farther this time?" Jack asks.

"All the way. I guess Ann never had a boyfriend cause she's telling me she's never felt this way before all the time we're makin' out. We go for it for about an hour, then she tells me if she had to lose her virginity to someone else besides a bicycle, I was the kind of guy she'd pick."

"Sounds like an open invitation to me." Jack said.

"Well, then she tells me she wants to show me something." Jack heard this and smiled, but Cliff's face was dead serious. "So she gets up and turns around and then undoes her overalls and lets it fall down while she covers herself with her hands." Cliff held his hands to his chest, showing Jack what he'd seen. Jack laughed, "Man, this gets better and better."

Cliff looked like he'd strolled in from a funeral. "She was covered in scars, Jack."

Jack frowned, "Huh?"

"Not unlike you, either. I mean her entire back and shoulders are literally zig-zagged with scars. She kind of shrinks in on herself, ya know? I get up and I can't even begin to believe what I'm seein'. I ask her how it happened and guess what she says?"

"Her mother," Jack said.

Cliff nodded. "Yup. Apparently that crack about the extension cord was true. Jack, you'd swear she was another person standing there, not the Ann you see on the street. Gotta hand it to her, she keeps a sense of humor through that kind of hell. She told me the last person who told her they loved her did that to her. Said her mother used to scream at her, lash her with the cord, then sit down the next morning and cry that she loved her."

Jack was speechless.

"Well, she told me she wanted a promise from me. A promise that I'd never let another person hurt her."

Jack cocked an eyebrow. "What'd you tell her?"

"I told her yes."

"And then you had sex?"

Cliff shook his head. "Jack, you just don't get it. This girl is pushin' down her emotional walls and baring her soul to me and you think all I could think about was sex?"

Jack just shrugged.

"Well, I kind of wrapped my arms around her and held her for a while. She cried, Jack, I swear I've never seen anything so sad in my life. Hearing her cry like that, I swear it just broke my heart. The last thing I could think about was sex, but nevertheless the longer I held her, the more she started to snuggle into me. Before long we were kissing. Now her coveralls had slide off when she undid them, so she was just in her skivvies and without a top on so needless to say it was a little tempting, but like I said I wasn't going to take advantage of a girl in that position."

"So how DID it happen?"

"Well, the more she snuggled the more we started getting into it. Ya know, one thing leadin' to another? I don't know how long we were like that, but yeah it wasn't long before we were dancin' on the sheets, but I swear Jack it was unlike anything in my entire life."

"How so?"

"I dunno, man. I think...I think I'm in love with her, I really do. I've never felt like this about someone."

Jack smiled, "Aww, that's just the post-nookie afterglow. I don't know about love."

"Then I don't think you've ever been in love before." Cliff countered.

"Alright then, Don Juan, you go ahead. I won't stand in the way of you and Ann. Alright, I've heard enough. Come on, slick, we need to get to work and finish by ten." Jack sighed. "I've got a looong week ahead of me. That lousy Kai. Last time I ever make a bet with him." Jack grumbled. He and Cliff joked and worked for the day, but Jack felt he shouldn't rib Cliff too much. The almost glazed look in his eyes, his smile, the kind of glow he had when he was talking about Ann. Jack almost swore Cliff WAS in love, but even Jack knew that love didn't happen overnight. He'd keep his eye on the boy and see if things were going well.

In a way, he hoped they did. Seemed like nothing ever went right in HIS own life.


	15. Ripe Tomatos

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: "RIPE TOMATOES"

Serving Kai for a week wasn't nearly as bad as Jack made it out to be. Kai was a monster in the ring, but during the summer he was as lazy as lazy could be—and Jack could certainly understand his want and need to relax as much as possible since Kai was all over the globe during the other three seasons of the year. All Kai really did was cook and he loved cooking more than anything, so Jack just cleaned a spot here and there and brought folks some food. And, of course, Jack got to stuff himself silly with all the foods he'd longed for after so many years.

Most of the days Jack and Kai simply lounged in a pair of hammocks and when no one was around they talked about the good old days of traveling and bad food and bad accommodations. Jack was still somewhat amused with the newfound coupling of Cliff and Ann. He picked at Cliff, but as the days began to wear on and Cliff came to work happier and happier, Jack knew it couldn't just be that he was having sex on a constant basis—if they were even doing that. Jack asked Cliff late in the week if that was the case, but Cliff shook his head and smiled, "Still don't get it, do you, Jack? It wasn't about the sex. I mean, sure that was one amazing night, but ever since then it's like me and Ann have been together for years."

That much was true. If they had tension between them before, it was completely gone. When they weren't working, Cliff and Ann were together, always with a smile on their faces, always laughing and carrying on; for some reason, Cliff was always carrying Ann on his back when they walked from one place to another and doing couple things. Of course, Ann was rather oblivious to some aspects of relationships and being a girlfriend. In this, she took advice from Miss Sasha, who was considered the most proper lady in the village.

They had a sort of system at work where Ann would receive small notes in her mail from Sasha, little things that told her the 'Dos and Don'ts' of dating compared to Ann's current behavior, most of which Sasha was appalled by. Some of them Cliff got hold of and showed to Jack, always putting Jack on the ground and splitting his sides in laughter. A few of them read like this:

_"__**Do**__: Hold his hand. Or when sitting, wrap your arm under his arm and hold him close. __**Do not**__: Reach around and grab his breast."_

Jack laughed. "Does she mean your man-boob?"

"Maybe she doesn't know that term and breast was all she could think of." Cliff laughed. He handed Jack another one.

_"__**Do**__: Whisper encouraging notions to him to remind him that he is special to you. __**Do not**__: Slap his rear end and call him your dirty ho."_

Jack split apart in gales of laughter. "She didn't, did she?"

"I think she was joking." Cliff laughed, "But yeah, it's taking some adjusting. What can I say, she's unlike any girl I've ever met before."

Another one read: _"__**Do**__: Kiss him on the cheek gently. __**Do not**__: lick the side of his face or waggle your tongue in his ear."_

Another: _"__**Do**__: Remind him that he is handsome and that you adore how he looks. __**Do not**__: compete with him over looks. This includes fondling your breasts in front of him."_

Jack eyeballed Cliff, who shrugged. "I dunno. We were joking around; she didn't fondle them, just kind of cupper her hand under them like she was holding them up for me to see."

"What kinda of person are you?" Jack asked.

Cliff shrugged. "I think I'm pretty much like you—only poor." He turned around and looked into the sky. "You could almost say being with Ann in public is like, I dunno, peeing in your pants. It's embarrassing for sure, but at the same time it feels kind of good."

Jack wasn't paying attention. He was reading something. "Uh...who is Seymor Dick and why is his name written on your neck in felt tip marker?" Cliff didn't answer; Jack didn't need that answer anyway. Thus it was so.

xxxxx

The first Summer Harvest came at the end of Jack's tenure as Kai's slave and just in time for the Tomato Festival. Jack and Cliff were up from dawn to dusk taking out the corn and tomatoes. And what a harvest! Jack marveled at how ripe and plump his tomatoes were. He put a few in his fridge and then stocked them away for the Tomato Festival. He'd read up on it after Karen told him and he was more than prepared for the Festival. He made sure they were all going to have enough tomatoes. Jack had begun preparing for it by hurling small rocks at his honey tree. He'd planted another small crop of tomatoes that would be ready the day before the Tomato Festival.

The week before the Festival, Popuri came running up to his house. "Jack!" She cried.

Jack laughed and yelled back, "Popuri!"

She stood in front of him. "Jack."

"Popuri." He said back.

"Jack?" She questioned.

"Popuri?" He questioned back.

"Jack, quit fooling around. I need to ask you something."

Jack smiled. "Popuri...okay, I'm done. What is it?"

"Mama's been more sick than normal and she won't make the Tomoato Festival next week."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Me and Rick are going, but we're short one person. We need three people per team and I need you to be on our team."

Jack thought back. He and Cliff were planning to ask Gray to be a third, but then Cliff said he'd teamed with Doug and Ann on their team. Jack couldn't resist the idea of chucking a tomato into Cliff's face. "Sure thing, Poe. I'll be there bright and early next week. Better start practicing."

Popuri giggled. "Jack, you're so sweet." And she toddled off to her home.

The next day, Jack and Cliff were out planting seeds again for the second Summer Harvest when Jack mentioned that he would be on the Poultry Farm's team. Cliff laughed when he heard this. "That's hilarious. Ann told me it's come down to the Poulty Farm and the Inn for the last four years in a row. Of course, the Inn team always wins, that's why I chose to be on their team, ya know?"

"Oh, don't worry." Jack said, narrowing his eyes and speaking in a raspy voice, "Mark my words, boy. Yer day is comin an' comin' soon. Me and the chicken people are gonna wipe the floor with you beer-swillin', homebody!"

Cliff took note of the challenge and said, "Well, we'll see who's laughing when this beer-swillin' homebody takes your sobustin' chicken farm to that task?"

"Is that a challenge?" Jack asked, puffing out his chest.

Cliff thrust his out and stood toe-to-toe with Jack. "You bet your sweet bunions it is, Harvestboy!"

The two eyed each other and went about their work day, but when passing by a strangely pre-maturely ripe tomato, Jack couldn't help himself. He grabbed the tomato off and chucked it right at Cliff, hitting him in the back of his head. The younger man turned around to see Jack leaning against his cooler, whistling and looking around as if nothing happened.

Cliff nodded and aimed his finger at Jack, "You're goin' down, farmer!"

Jack just urged him by waggling his fingers, as if to say 'Bring it on.'. Cliff brought it alright. The remainder of the week was a barrage of drive- by peltings. Jack had gone over to Popuri's to get some more chicken feed. He and Rick and Popuri were joking as he walked out through the door when out of nowhere a tomato sailed into Jack's face, driving him off his feet and to the ground. Growling, he wiped the tomato mess off his face and saw Ann and Rick at the entrance of the farm; Ann bouncing the tomato up and down in her hand with a grin.

"Gotta keep a sharp eye out, Jack!" Cliff called.

Popuri laughed at Jack's red face and the mess it had cause...until Ann planted a tomato between her eyes. Standing stock still with her fists clenched, the tomato slid of her face until her angry eyes and tightly drawn lips were revealed. The tomato left on the face began to smoke slightly. Rick laughed too, but then Cliff nailed him in the ear with one. That stopped him from laughing. Rick rolled his sleeve up and started forward. "Why that little!"

Jack grabbed his arm and stopped him, shaking his head. "Don't worry for right now. We'll get them back."

The next day, Cliff came to work as usual and Jack had temporary revenge. Cliff knocked on the door and Jack opened with a tomato right in Cliff's face, splattering it on him before Cliff could move. Cliff sputtered and shook his head. "Hey!"

"Tomato in, tomato out." Jack said, laughing.

They went to work and Jack and Cliff eyed each other the entire day, each one wary of the next trap his future opponent might spring. Near the end of the day, Cliff called out, "Hey Jack!"

Jack spun around, ready to dodge, but Cliff just held up a large tomato. "Take a gander at this one!" He underhanded it to Jack, too slowly for him to catch it. But as Jack's eyes followed the tomato in the air, Ann popped up from behind the barn and nailed him in the face with another one. Jack growled in rage, but Cliff and Ann were already running for town.

A few minutes later, Popuri came running up, tomato juice still evident on her face. "Jack! Ann hit me with a tomato. Oh, you too?"

Jack snarled. "Come on. I've got an idea."

At the Inn that night, Cliff and Ann were chatting in the tavern when Jack strolled in with a tomato in his hand. Cliff spied him and stood up. Jack said, "Cliff. Check this out!" He tossed the tomato to Cliff, obviously too slowly for him to hit Jack. Cliff reached out with his hands and supposedly caught the tomato with both hands, but it wasn't until the vegetable's too soft meat gave way and splattered all over Cliff's face that he realized he'd been had and Jack and tossed a rotten tomato his way.

Cliff cried out and wiped his face, the smell of rotten tomato reeking into the air. Ann laughed, but only until Popuri popped into the door and hit Ann with a tomato right in the chest. Jack and Popuri laughed, then dashed off into the night.

Jack woke the next morning to a rather nasty surprise. There was a tomato on his chest with a note tied to it. "Revenge will be mine." It said.

Jack looked up, wondering how or where Cliff could have come in to do that.

The week continued, one assault after another. Rick was nailed while he worked in the fields. Jack and Cliff sailed tomatoes at each other from afar, playing a veggie version of war as they worked in the fields. Popuri refused to leave her house, but Ann sent her a tomato in the mail every day. When her mother asked her why Ann was sending her tomatoes, Popuri said, "Because she's going to die at the Festival."

The last assault came on the eve of the Festival. Cliff and Ann had snuck off into the night, again, dancing together and kissing here and there in their newfound relationship. Their dancing was interrupted when suddenly Popuri cleared her throat. "Ahem."

They stopped, staring at her.

"I just want you two to know that your behavior as of late has been childish."

Ann laughed, snorting slightly. "You're just mad because you get nailed with tomatoes too much and that tomorrow you're gonna lose big time."

Popuri smiled. "No, but what I'm saying DOES keep you from turning around."

Cliff and Ann looked shocked for a bare fraction of a second before turning around...

Only to have Jack and Rick chuck a five-gallon bucket filled with tomato juice right into their faces. The red sauce splashed against their bodies and seeped into their cloths, spilling around them in a Carrie-esque manner. The two stood speechless and watched as Rick, Jack, and Popuri walked off, smiling. "Tomorrow." Jack promised before they left.

Thankfully, the day of the Festival arrived and the attacks had ceased. Jack and Zack delivered the barrels of tomatoes to Rose square and Jack went off to find Popuri and Rick, his team. They were waiting for him at the house, their faces carved into angry masks. They'd been nailed with so many tomatoes, they were sick of it.

"Go time." Jack said. The three of them walked into Rose Square, where two barricades of barrels had been set up facing each other. The Tomato Festival was a big game of whack-a-mole. Each team had three people and as many tomatoes as they wanted. The object was too hit every member of the team with tomatoes. This year there were several team, but to Jack it only matter if they took out one.

Suddenly, a tomato whizzed by Jack's ear and ht the ground behind him. The three of them spun around and saw Cliff, Ann, and Doug standing to the side. Cliff grinned maliciously. "I did that on purpose. I didn't have to miss."

Jack urged Cliff to him. "Just bring it, Jabroni!"

The Festival was underway and Jack, Popuri, and Rick wasted no time in teach Elli, Doc, and Stu how it was done. After that, Cliff, Doug, and Ann took down Karen, Sasha, and Jeff in short order.

The brackets shortened. Pastor Carter, Manna, and Duke won against Gotz, the Mayor, and Harris, but the Inn team took them down too. After that, the Poultry team made short work of Mary, Anna, and Basil, then took down Zack ,Won, and Kai. They all fared well, but Jack, Popuri, and Rick had been nailed numerous times, blinking away tomato juice and seeds, determined to see their enemies go down.

Finally, the moment both teams had been waiting for had arrived and the Inn team and the Poultry farm were the last contestants to face off. Jack took the right outside barrel, since his throw was aimed that way anyway. He knew the Inn team would have a strategy. Already he could see Cliff pointing to Popuri and he grinned. Yes, Popuri had been nailed with more tomatoes than anybody at the Festival. She was a good throw, but horrible at ducking back down fast enough. No doubt they'd be aiming for her first and he could use that.

Jack put two tomatoes in his hand and called out. "Not too late to go back to the Inn for a cider." Jack cried.

"Nor is it too late to back to the farm with the rest of the chickens." Rick cried back.

"Ooooh!" Popuri fumed. "I am sooo going to nail you two!"

"Heeey!" Cliff called out, nudging Ann with his elbow. "Sounds kinda kinky!"

"That's it!" Popuri jumped the gun and sent out a tomato of revenge, Cliff was still laughing when he realized she'd thrown and was nailed right in his big fat mouth with a tomato, flying backwards from the force. Ann cried out and her and Doug went back behind their barrels as the Poultry team went to work.

"Good shot, Poe!" Jack cried out. "Now we've got the advantage of numbers.

Not for long. Doug came up and fired a shot that clipped Popuri in the head. She sat against her barrel, pouting but glad she had hit Cliff so well with that first shot. Rick and Jack poked their heads up and fired off a tomato when they could, but they soon learned why the Inn had won the Festival the four previous years. Ann was nothing short of a tomato machine gun, firing off ketchup busters left and right, but not with abandon, oh no. Every veggie she threw was well aimed and if it didn't hit the barrel, it clipped the edge, spilling juices and seeds onto Rick and Jack's heads.

Rick looked to Jack. "Jack, I'm scared! She's too good!"

Jack jumped up and managed a shot at Doug, taking him in the chest with a lucky shot before Ann nearly snapped his nose off with one. He ducked back down and Rick popped up, hoping to score a lucky shot when a tomato splattered against his face so violently, Jack almost swore Rick's face had exploded. The chicken farmer slowly bent back down and glared at Jack with a shocked look on his face. "She got me."

Jack sighed and leaned up to peer, but Ann had a shot leveled at his head, splattering tomato after tomato against the top of his barrels. He knew he didn't have a pray, but he looked to Rick and said, "Jump back up for a second."

Rick looked confused. "Why?"

"Distract her so I can hit her." Jack said. Rick rolled the logic around in his head for a moment and decided the prospect of being nailed another time was a small price to pay for watching the Inn team get their butts beaten.

Rick popped up and closed his eyes, preparing for a shot that didn't come. Jack popped up, his arm reared back to deliver a killing throw when two tomatoes, both thrown by Ann at the same time, nailed him right in the face, knocking him backwards to the pavement. Rick looked at Jack and sighed. Then he got nailed by another tomato in the side of his head.

"The Festival is over!" The Mayor cried. "Cliff, Ann, and Doug are the winners!

xxxx

That night, after a good meal cooked up by Doug at the Inn, Cliff and Ann decided to take a stroll down the beach for fun. They exited the Inn and found Rick, Jack, and Popuri approaching them. Cliff and Ann looked like they were going to run, but Jack held up a hand. "Hold it, guys. We just wanted to say good job. You guys did a topnotch job at the Tomato Festival. Far be it for me to admit who the better tomato throwers are."

Ann laughed, half-snorting. "Well, what can we say? It's all in the spirit of good fun, right? By the way, Popuri, I'm sorry about all those cheap shots we hit you with."

Popuri smiled sweetly. "Oh, it's no problem. We're all friends. But the sneaks attacks are a bit much, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Cliff admitted. "Quite a bit much. Truce?" He asked.

Jack, Rick, and Popuri's hands came from behind their backs, filled to the brim with eggs. Cliff shrieked like a girl and Anna cried out as the three Tomato Festival losers pelted them with eggs on their faces, chests, and arms. When it was over, Cliff and Ann stood with their arms out wide, dripping egg and shell. Jack smirked as he strolled up with his last egg, pulled on the edge of Cliff's pants, tucked the egg into his pants, then gave the bottom of his abdomen a hard pat, splattering the inside of Cliff's pants with egg. Cliff's face squirmed, but he didn't move to stop Jack. The elder farmer just looked him in the eyes and smiled, "Truce."

"Okay then." Cliff said, "Good thing we were going to the beach anyway."

"Yeah." Ann said, "You guys wanna come along?"

"I gotta get back to Ma." Rick said. "You coming, Popuri?"

"Sure." She said, dusting her hands off. "See you guys tomorrow." She waved as she and Rick left. Jack turned to them. "I guess I can come."

The three of them walked through Rose Square. Jack didn't miss the fact that they were hand-in-hand, their arms intertwined as they walked and looking into each other's eyes. "You two seem awfully smitten with each other." Jack noted.

"Is it obvious?" Cliff joked.

Jack held up his fingers. "Just a little."

"What can I say?' Ann said, "When you get into someone, you really get into them."

"Can I take that as an official confirmation of your relationship?" Jack asked. "Are we serious here or what?"

"Yes, we're serious." Cliff said.

"Cliff's a real nice guy...for a dirty ho." And Ann smacked him on the behind, to Jack's amusement. They reached the beach and Cliff and Ann dove into the water, racing each other. Jack stood at the water's edge, feeling the cool air on the hot summer night and the lapping of waves making him drowsy. He began to eyeball some of the land next to the shore. A seaside home? He missed his old one. A new one would be good, it would.

Jack was aware of someone coming onto the shore. He spied Cliff and Ann, racing out into the water under the cover of night, so he knew it wasn't one of them. He looked again as a slender female form walked up from the sand. That was one form Jack remembered and very well.

Karen walked up wearing her stunning purple two-piece as she had the previous weeks. Jack was stunned. From far away on the docks, he had taken note, but here the setting amplified her even more. Her creamy skin, wet, reflected the moonlight perfectly, her wet hair dangling down her shoulders, her bangs dipping down in front of her eyes. In the dim light, she looked more like a goddess than a country girl. Jack shuddered involuntarily and felt the urge to take a cold shower. "Down, boy." He muttered to himself.

Not enough, for Karen had already seen him and was making her way across the sand to where he stood. She stood in front of him, swiping her bangs away. "Hello, Jack." She said in a hushed, seductive tone. If she were hoping to impress him, she was succeeding. "What're you up to?"

"About six foot, two inches." Jack quipped.

Karen laughed. "Always a kidder, huh?"

"I try." He shrugged. "What about you? What're you doing out here?"

"I like swimming in the summertime—especially at night. Care to join me?" She said with a wink, backing away. Jack cocked an eyebrow in interest. "I don't have my trunks with me." He said.

Jack felt his brain explode with what she said next, "Who said you needed one?" Before Jack could press that line of inquiry, Karen reached up and untied her swimming top, letting it fall down as she turned around, obstructing his view as she tossed the top onto the ground.

"Oh, sweet fancy Moses." Jack muttered, trying to keep his eyes from falling out. Karen reached the water and at hip deep, she took off her bottom and slung them onto shore. By the time they hit the sand, Jack already had his boots and coveralls off, sliding his shirt to the ground and not making any attempt to hide himself as he yanked off his skivvies and plunged into the water, stark naked.

Karen blushed deeply, turning her head before she saw him nude and waiting until he swam up to her before she finally looked back at him. Jack grinned. "Why so modest? You're the one that wanted to go skinny dipping. Of course, I can't complain. Feels nice to get outta those cloths and swing free for a while."

Karen smiled. "Summer's almost half over, Jack. I hate it when Summer leaves. I told myself this summer I was going to make the most of it."

"Why?" Jack asked, floating next to Karen.

Karen looked downcast. "Well, I swore this year would be the year. I swore this year I'd be leaving and for good."

Jack just smiled. "Are you?"

"I don't know now. Some things have come up and I don't know if I can leave or not. This...this town keeps sucking me back every time I want to leave. If I don't leave this year, Jack, I don't know if I ever can."

Jack smiled. "So what's keeping you here?"

Karen looked into Jack's eyes and didn't answer. She didn't have to. He knew the reason. She was staying here because of him and he knew it. Jack just smirked to one side. "You know, I have an old saying that I go by."

"Hmm?"

"I always say that if you see something you want bad enough, you reach out and take it. You know what I'm talking about?"

Karen looked apprehensive, as if she suddenly wasn't sure what she should do next. "I...I think so."

"So, if you see something you want, Karen, by all means go and-." Jack was cut off as Karen's arms shot out and drew him closer, pressing Jack in one of the most passionate kisses he'd ever had. He was caught off guard, but only for a moment, then he pulled his arms around her and pulled her lovely body closer to his, returning the kiss with just as much enthusiasm.

"Poor girl must have been starved for this." He thought, as Karen eagerly kissed him as if she would never be able to do so again. Jack held one hand on her back and one on her head, drawing her as tightly against him as they kissed. Jack fully felt in that moment the impact that the absence of a female in his life had done to him. Put mildly, he wanted nothing more than to take her right there, but his self-control proved the better and although it would have been easy—too easy—he refrained from taking it any further than it had already gotten.

After a few minutes, their kisses slowed and they savored each one a lot longer, sinking farther into each kiss than the one before it. They didn't know how long they were there and it didn't matter. They heard the distant splashing of Cliff and Ann, but if those two noticed them, they made no show of it. More than likely, they too were lost in their own passionate embrace. It didn't matter. At that moment, nothing matter to Karen and Jack.

After so long in the water their hands began to prune, Jack and Karen finally parted and spoke. Jack spoke first. "You're an amazing kisser." He said.

"Should I be flattered?" She asked.

"Maybe." Jack grinned and Karen splashed a little water on him before they drew closer for another long kiss. When they parted, she asked, "What does this mean for us, Jack? Am I your girlfriend now?"

"Do you want to be?" He asked.

Karen didn't answer. "Jack, I...I'd never leave here. I mean, don't get me wrong, you're the most amazing guy in the world, but I don't know about us. If we get too close, I don't know if I'll ever leave from here."

Jack felt a small pang in his chest. What was she saying? Was he not a good enough reason to stay here? Would staying here with him be some kind of prison sentence to her? It was, Jack mused, a perfect situation. He could probably string her along until she did leave. Once she left, it wouldn't matter what would transpire between them.

Then again, Jack knew for certain if he was TOO good a man to her, she'd fall into his charm and try to stay. Whether or not That was a good idea was debatable, but if she didn't want to stay, who was he to ensnare her. Still, that didn't mean they couldn't have some fun before she left.

"Hey. I got another saying I go by. One day at a time. Just take it one day at a time, kay?"

She nodded and smiled as Jack began to pull her closer for another smooch. This time, though, their kiss was answered with cat calls and hollering. Karen and Jack turned to see Ann and Cliff on shore, waving their clothes around over their heads.

"See you tomorrow, Jack!" Cliff laughed, walking off the beach with their cloths in tow. "NOW we're even!"

Jack laughed, but turned to see Karen was rather embarrassed an angry. "Jack, they took our cloths!"

Jack started walking towards shore. "Yep."

"Jack, they TOOK our CLOTHES!"

"Yep." He began to walk up the shore. Karen shielded her eyes. "Jack, what're you doing?"

Jack walked up the hill to the side of the beach. "I'm goin' home. Someone took my clothes, after all. I don't care what you do, but I'm goin' home."

"Jack, you can't leave me here! I'm naked!"

"So am I. There's plenty of bushes and cover on the way to your house. Just sneak back." And Jack disappeared over the hill and headed into the woods that would lead him home, hoping nobody with a spotlight found him.

Karen bobbed up and down in the water, now too cold to be in, and shivered, hissing, "Jack! Jack! Jack! Oh no, what am I going to do?"


	16. Moonlight Beauty

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: "MOONLIGHT BEAUTY"  
><strong>  
>Jack had no intention of celebrating the Moonlight Festival.<p>

That was all there was to it. He wasn't asking anyone, because he wanted to see if someone would ask him. The idea of making a girl come and beg him for a date was as shallow as it gets, he knew, but he wanted to see if Karen or Popuri asked him and who would ask him first. He never gave either girl the slightest inclination that he was going to ask them or anyone else, though the expectant looks they both gave him told him more than enough.

A week had passed since he'd left Karen in the river. While she wasn't mad at him, she obviously didn't think it was funny. She warned him that she'd yank his shorts down while he was in the middle of town. Jack shrugged. "Go ahead. See if I care." Karen scoffed, thinking to intimidate him, but intimidating a guy who'd spent six years walking through locker rooms filled with showering guys tended to slant ones view of nakedness and its potential embarrassments.

The Moonlight Festival was, or so Jack was told, a Festival of romance. Nothing was to be done in the Square, it was something a man and a woman who loved one another were to celebrate alone. Married couples were to spent the day with each other and forego work.

Karen seemed annoyed by the Festival. "I hate this. My parents kick me out of the house for the night. I have to stay at the church with anyone else who isn't spending it with someone." She looked at him, waiting. Jack knew what she wanted. She wanted him to ask her over, spend the night with him and suck face. Jack brushed her off and started talking about his crops.

Maybe it was the heat. Summer was half over. Jack's second Summer Harvest was nearing, and the heat was oppressive, so humid that Jack was teasing the notion of not wearing any underwear just to be more comfortable. He'd taken to wearing shorts and no shirt, but the sun baked him red. Lesson one: farm with cloths on.

Lazy summer days were better when the heat index wasn't in the triple digits. Cliff and Jack downed sports drinks and water like crazy. They took more and more breaks, cooling off in his house. Jack had taken down his grandfather's satellite hookup after being tempted week-after-week to watch the wrestling show he had pioneered. He still had the basic channels and that was good enough, but he still didn't watch it much. With basic cable, it was all soaps at day, lame sitcoms in the evening, and news at night. He didn't like the news anyway. Always too much bad news on.

He visited Kai a bit, but the novelty of talking about the old days wore off quick. Still, if he wanted to talk to someone, he knew where to go. Kai was a heckuva cook and Jack and Cliff's lunches were usually at Kai's, when the veteran wrestler was almost always lazing about in his hammock.

The night of the festival, Jack was in his home, with his windows open listening to crickets chirp and settled down with a book when he heard the sound of light footfalls on the grass outside. Frodo, bigger now, but still a pup, perked his ears and looked at the door. Jack looked up and waited until a light knocking came. "Enter."

The door opened and Mary came in. He smiled. "Hey. What brings you here?"

Mary smiled back, her tiny nose wrinkling when she did. "Oh, this silly festival. Mom and dad want their privacy, and of course I gave it to them. But I didn't care for staying over at the church with Pastor Carter, Stu, and May and the other girls. I don't care for too much commotion, so I went for a walk. Odd, I thought for sure you would be out on this festival."

"Oh?" Jack asked, wondering. "Why is that? Is it because I'm the most eligible bachelor in the village?"

"I thought you MUST have asked someone." She said. A tiny sound reverberated in the house and Jack laughed. It was Mary's stomach.

"You hungry?"

"I'm so embarrassed." She said, holding her tummy. "I didn't know I would do that."

"What did you think would happen if you didn't eat?" He asked. "Your ears would turn blue? Maybe your hair would stand on end. That'd be kind of funny, you know, looking like you French kissed a light socket." He stood up and walked to his kitchen. "How about a Jack Harris special? BLTs, like last time."

Mary sat on the couch, smiling again. "That'd be lovely, Jack."

"What book do you have there?" He asked, getting the bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes out. Jack paused when he grabbed the tomato, but shook off the permeating fear of the veggie. (The tomato festival had been a traumatic experience). Mary began telling him about the book she was reading as he cooked. As all their co-reading sessions, it was a relaxing piece of life. And somehow, it just felt right to him.

xxxxx

Karen strolled down the beach, tossing rocks in one-by-one. She hated this festival. She might enjoy it a bit more if she had someone to share it with, but stupid Jack didn't want to go with her. She idly wondered what low-bred hussy he was spending the night with. Probably Popuri, because she'd heard that Jack was close to the Poultry Farm and Popuri often came over to his house to see him. If she had her one opportunity, she'd smack Popuri for even thinking about talking to Jack.

Karen sighed and shook her head. That was totally unlike her. She wasn't the jealous type and even if she was, Popuri didn't deserve her animosity. Did she?

"You too?" A voice asked.

Karen turned around. Think of the devil and she appears, there was Popuri walking down the beach with her hands behind her and she strolled. Popuri stood before Karen and she wore the same face as Karen. "Another year, another night alone?"

Karen nodded. "God, I hate this Festival."

"Or are you saying that because you don't have anyone to share it with?"

"Do you hate this Festival?" Karen asked.

"I do this year."

"Me too."

"No one asked you, huh?"

"Nope. You?"

"I wouldn't be walking around if I had a date." Popuri sighed, "Poor mama always gets so sad on these Festivals. She misses papa."

Karen lowered her eyes, feeling bad that she had both her parents whereas Popuri's father was gone nearly the entire year. "Sorry. Did...did you hear if Jack asked somebody?"

Popuri narrowed her eyes and frowned a little. "Why?"

"I heard things." Karen said. "I heard he didn't ask anyone."

Popuri scoffed slightly and sighed, "I heard the same. Being the new guy in the village, you'd think he'd ask someone, at least."

"I thought the same thing." Karen said, turning back out to the river and tossing another stone in. She held her hand out to Popuri, who took one and tried her hand as skipping it. It skipped...once. "Why are guys so hard to understand?" Karen asked, to no one in particular. "They always seem to do what opposite of what you expect of them."

"I don't know." Popuri said, "Sometimes I feel like my life is choking me, like there's no escape or no reason for it."

"I feel the same way." Karen said, "You know, we should both just leave this little town and all it's problems behind and go travel the world. Just you and me."

Popuri looked at Karen. "Really?"

Karen caught her with a devious grin, "Yeah. Think about it. Paris, Rome, Japan, Canada, the US. We could see all of it together, just you and me. Who could stop us?"

Popuri put her hand on her hip and looked at Karen for a long time before answering, "I can't leave, Karen. Ma's sick, Rick works too hard on the farm, and Pa's gone so much. I couldn't bear to leave Ma by herself and have something happen to her and me be gone."

Karen sighed, tossing another stone out. "I know. I was just daydreaming. I do that sometimes. I wonder what's out there sometimes. Sometimes I want to just leave."

"Yeah?"

"I want someone to come with me, too." Karen looked off into the distance. "Someone who means a lot to me."

"I know."

"Popuri."

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What...what do you...think about Jack?"

Popuri seemed a bit taken back by the question. "Why?"

Karen shrugged a bit. "Just wondering."

Popuri lifted her brow, "Well, he's very nice, but I've never met anyone quite like him. He's big, strong...handsome, for sure."

Karen smiled, "For sure. He's funny, too."

"And friendly. Everyone seems to like him." Popuri said, "He asked me to the Harvest Festival after Mr. Feathers got killed by that stray dog as a way to cheer me up. Isn't that sweet?"

Karen smiled in spite of that. "Yeah. He's a great guy."

"Yeah."

Silence settled between the two of them. It seemed as though each one was probing the other to see their true feelings for Jack. But both Karen and Popuri assumed the other girl merely liked Jack as a person, as none of their answers kicked off any alarms in their minds that Jack was in danger of being stolen by the other girl.

Popuri picked up a rock and tossed it in. This time it skipped several times. "I hate this stupid Festival."

Karen laughed, "Me too."

xxxxx

Two hours had passed and Jack and Mary had read almost non-stop, each one engrossed in their separate books. A few questions had turned into a lively discussion between them and they were well into an hour of talking when Jack suddenly fell quiet. Mary looked at him questioningly. "What's wrong?"

Jack smiled from his end of the couch. "Nothing. I just...this just feels right, doesn't it?"

Mary looked at him, furrowing her brow. "What?"

"This." Jack gestured with his arms, "Us. You and me sitting here and talking like this. It just feels right, doesn't it?"

Mary seemed to feel very meek in that moment. "Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but it is nice. I've never had anyone to talk with before...not like this."

They were quiet for a long moment, looking at each other. Mary asked him a question. "Jack, I was thinking today about something, but you weren't around for me to talk with."

"What is it?"

"What do you think true beauty is?" She asked, holding her hands before her as if to weight something, "Is it physical? Is it mental? How does a person know what beauty is?"

Jack laughed, throwing back his head, "Is this what you do all day? Think of things like this?"

"Very much so." She answered in all seriousness. She adjusted her glasses. "But you haven't answered my question."

Jack thought for a moment. "They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

"They also say beauty is only skin deep."

Jack scoffed, "That's just something ugly people say."

Mary didn't skip a beat. "Did you think of that by yourself?"

"No, I heard it in a movie with Jim Carrey. Why do you ask?"

Mary sighed a small little sigh. "Sometimes I just wonder. Is beauty how good you look? Surely it isn't all in a person's body. You can still have a good body, but not be beautiful. Nor is it entirely of someone's mind. Ask a man who he thinks is beautiful and he'll always tell you his wife or daughter, but isn't he biased?"

"You're saying he might not be telling the truth?" Jack answered, "That in way he's obligated to say his family is beautiful? Does that mean love blinds physical defects? You can love someone no matter what they look like."

"But that person will always believe his mate is the one who's most beautiful, but does that mean that person is beautiful?"

"Physical beauty will always play a part." Jack said, "I mean, nature intends for us to be attracted to what we perceive to be the most eligible second half of future children."

"But that's instinct, Jack. That's chemicals and animal instincts, and that's fine for animals, but we're people. We have souls." She spoke more softly, "We have hearts."

Jack seemed to catch on to something, but he didn't know quite what. "So what are you trying to say? What's the bottom line in all this, or is there a bottom line? Or..." He sat up and leaned forward, "Was this whole line of questioning a lead in to another question?"

Mary closed her eyes and smiled, "You know me very well, Jack."

"I'm not a dumb person. Is that it? Is there something else?"

Mary sighed slightly. "Am I beautiful, Jack?"

Jack was stunned. He had no idea how to answer that. She looked at him, expecting an answer. Jack just shrugged. "It goes back to your question."

"Thus my reason for asking it. Tell me, Jack. Am I beautiful?"

"To who?" He said back.

That set Mary back and she sucked in a short breath. "I... I didn't think of it that way."

"If you're asking me if you're beautiful, are you asking because you want to know if I think you're beautiful, or is it because you want to see yourself as beautiful."

Mary closed her eyes. "I don't see myself as beautiful, Jack. Look at me. I'm small, I don't have the kind of body that someone like Karen has, or a beautiful face like Elli. I feel like the smallest person in the world sometimes. But I thought surely someone thinks I'm beautiful, right? Isn't that what everyone wants? To be looked up to? To be admired. Seems like it's only the beautiful people who have that."

Jack had no answer. He looked at her, speechless, as she continued.

"Maybe I wasn't supposed to be born here, at this time, in this body. Maybe I was meant to be somewhere else, where I could have been better at something. Maybe...maybe I'm a beautiful person trapped in the body of someone who isn't beautiful? Is that is, Jack? Can you tell me the answer?"

She looked at him again, her face strangely sad. "Am I beautiful, Jack? Am I beautiful to you?"

Jack stared for moment, his mouth slightly open and he seemed to run through every possible answer, rejecting each one before finally settling on the one answer that made any sense to him. He sat forward and took hold of Mary's glasses and took them off, looking into her face as he held them, seeing how differently she looked without them on. In that moment, he was awestruck by her, by her beauty.

He cupped his large hand to her cheek, nearly enveloping half her face and pulled her forward ad he leaned in. Mary didn't resist him, but felt her heart leap to two hundred miles an hour in the space of a second as Jack leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers.

Mary was surprised how gentle he was, given how much larger he was than her. Jack was conscious of how much smaller she was than he, and he kissed her gently, caressed her cheek softly, as if he might somehow break her if touched too hard. Mary was unsure of herself at first, but Jack kissed her again and again, slowly and softly enough that he didn't overwhelm the romantically challenged librarian.

Jack felt odd, too. Mary was so small compared to him, he almost felt like her were kissing a twelve year old, but Mary was definitely a woman, though still a young one. Her lips were tiny, hard to kiss right and he didn't want to envelope her whole mouth being overeager. For once in his life, Jack was content to hold back. And though he didn't know it, Mary was glad he did. She gently caressed his cheek with her hand. Both wanted nothing more than to take each other in embrace, but for some reason, they held back.

Neither knew how much time had passed, but finally Mary broke their kiss and stared up at Jack, blinking. He smiled at her and said, "Yes, Mary, you are beautiful...to me and everyone else."

Mary smiled, her cheeks now a bright pink. "My glasses." She said.

"You're beautiful without those, you know." Jack said, sitting straight.

"Perhaps, but I'm also blind as a bat. My glasses, please.." He set them back on her face and grinned, "Still beautiful. Was that kind of forward for you?"

"Not at all." She said, "Still, countless romance novels don't do justice to the real thing. That was my first kiss, you know."

"I'd have thought otherwise." Jack said.

Mary playfully slapped his arm. "Stop being silly. You know I've never had a boyfriend."

Jack reached down and scooped the tiny young woman in his arms and held her tight. "Hey, you never know."

"I should be going." She said, blushing from being so close, but unable to help laughing.

"Come on, it's not even ten yet. I got an idea. Let's just read...together. You and me." He suggested. Mary giggled and nodded, "Alright."

So for the rest of the night, Mary snuggled into Jack while she sat on his lap, the two of them reading a book. It wasn't long, though, when Jack felt her rhythmic breathing and knew she had drifted off to sleep. He stood up, carrying her in his arms, and laid her down in his bed. He tucked her under the covers and took off her glasses, setting them on the dresser next to his bed. Mary stirred, but merely snuggled into Jack's pillow, smiling as she did so.

Jack smiled and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek good-night. At that moment, Jack decided that Mary was none other than a true angel, a woman of such beauty that he felt as if nothing should ever touch her. He felt somehow unworthy to even kiss her, as if he were some kind of corrupted person and Mary were someone he could never have.

He pushed the thoughts from his head and settled onto the couch, asleep almost before he took his hat off.

xxxxx

The office of Aaron St. Claire seemed somehow more empty when Jim Black entered it again. The owner of AWF looked up from his phone, looking flushed and frustrated. He motioned for the PI to step inside and have a seat. Jim did so and took the big leather chair. He noted on the wall was a poster of Jack as Ace Valentine with several darts on the face and chest, numerous holes dotted about his entire body, and a knife-like letter opener stabbed into Jack's heart.

Aaron hung up and looked to Jim Black. "Tell me you have something."

"I had him." Jim said, sighing and rubbing his eyes. "Dear God, pour me a drink"

"You HAD him?" Mr. St. Claire gaped, grabbing a bottle of scotch and setting it between them. "You HAD Ace Valentine? What happened?"

Jim Black poured himself a drink, one of many he'd had recently. "It wasn't anytime recent. At the beginning of the summer, I staked out his parents house. Three days before, he'd withdrawn a ton of cash in Metro Heights. I thought he'd try and come see his folks at night and I was right."

"Did you talk to him?" Aaron asked.

Black rubbed his jaw. "Not precisely. His old man's not an idiot, but he's a real wimp. He tired to come after me, but I started kicking him around when I spotted Ace running form the house. I chased him down until I ran him off the road, but he sucker-punched me and then slashed my tires. He got away." Mostly lies, but Black figured that St. Claire didn't need to know that. "Look, I've been non-stop searching for him for weeks. It seemed like he was heading southwest, so I've been checking hotel records, phone records, ATM cameras...you name it, I've checked it. Nothing. He was driving an old beat-up pickup truck, but I couldn't get close enough to get a confirmation on the tag number. I checked the DMV, and there's an old pickup in old man Harris's name, but that truck hasn't been at their house since Valentine left."

St. Claire downed his second Scotch and sighed loudly. "To hell with that man!" He swore, "Ace...I swear if I ever catch him, I'm going to ring his neck. He has no idea the damage he's done to me or the industry. I'm sinking faster than the Titanic thanks to him. Mr. Black, I don't' care how long it takes or how much money you want, I WANT ACE VALENTINE FOUND!"

Jim Black sneered as Aaron St. Claire passed him another ten thousand to keep up his search and tucked the money into his pocket. "Don't worry, Mr. St. Claire. I'll find that louse. This isn't business anymore. Now it's personal."


	17. Of Dreams and Men

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: "OF DREAMS AND MEN"**

Jack took one look at the so-called Gourmet Chef and turned tail and ran back to farm to hide. Not because he fear the man might eat him—although he wouldn't want to be stranded on a desert island with him when the food ran out and that beached whale started getting hungry—no, he KNEW the chef, had seen him before and was cursing his fates that everyone in the world who knew him seemed to be heading towards Flowerbud.

Yes, Jack knew the Gourmet Chef. Not personally, mind you. As the infamous Ace Valentine and proprietor of his own franchise of Ace Valentine "stuff", he was famous for being rather courteous in the upper-class circles. Circles, mind you, that the Chef himself ran with. All Jack knew was that he was supposedly one of the world's most respected food tasters. Rich food, poor food, soul food, frozen pizza, caviar, it didn't matter to him, he ate it. How in the world he'd ended up in Flowerbud was a mystery Jack decided was better left to Scooby and the gang.

The Cooking Festival was supposedly where Jack would enter his BLTs, but he decided he'd rather eat his own food and not risk Jabba recognizing him. Jack had only seen him at a few high-level functions—mostly business get- togethers and the general party for people so rich, they wiped themselves with silk. The short, stocky man was actually an intelligent person, or so Jack had gathered the few times he'd spoken with him. The man knew who he was, but wasn't a fan, though his daughters were supposedly avid fans. The Chef—he went by no other name—had embarrassingly asked for autographs for all three of them and a snapshot of him with Ace—all of which Jack was happy to provide.

No, that man being here meant Jack was missing the year's Cooking Festival...and probably the next year's. And the year after that, for however long this guy judged the show. Odd, he thought, that a man who ran in such high circles would even bother to come down to such an isolated, small village to judge a contest with only five contestants.

"Must be some fine cooking." Jack said out loud.

Reaching the farm, he was busy devouring his last BLT and strolled through the crops. Already watered for the day, he gave them the once over. Growing fine, they were. The long row of Corn and Tomatoes would be ready for his second Summer Harvest tomorrow.

In the meantime, Jack decided to take advantage of the free day and fish at the edge of his stream. Frodo bounced at his heels. The pup was much larger now than when Jack had first found him. He was even beginning to respond when Jack called him and learning the basics of dog training. Things like sit and...well, right now it was pretty much sit, but Jack opted to expand on his education later.

No one was at their homes, not even Lillia. So there was no work to be done except for the big stumps and big rocks. Jack was busy with his Summer Harvests to worry about those just yet. It'd take some time and he and Cliff intended to knock them all down and turn them into pebbles and useful planks for making his pasture fence when Spring rolled around.

Again, the day was hot, but Jack took his beach umbrella and used it for some shade as he lounged in his lawnchair with the fishing rod strung across his belly. It was only for show, as he drifted off to sleep in the early afternoon.

Jack hadn't had a dream since he was a teenager. That day, he dreamt. More than dreamt, he relived time and memory forgotten.

xxxx

_The logic that one could be so aware of what was going on around themselves at five years old was rather silly, but that's what Jack felt. He felt his confusion at coming to the farm, the awe and wonder of the unusual setting, but he felt he already knew this and that it was no surprise._

_The mangled mix of thought faded as five year old Jack toddled onto the farm for the first time, being led by his tall, powerful father on one side and his beautiful mother on the other. He looked around at the cows, the horses, the crops growing in the field. All so new to him, yet so familiar; His dad, always knowing when Jack was ready for a ride, picked him up on his shoulders and carried him a distant man wearing blue jean overalls and a straw hat._

_The older man smiled up at Jack when he saw him. He looked like Jack and his own father, but with a graying beard. How could he know that, because he was five? The thoughts were too odd to think of, so he stopped, focusing on the older man._

_"Jack," His fathers voice floated about in his ear, sounding distant, as if spoken through a metal culvert filled a bit with water. "Your mother and I have to go away for a while, but you're going to stay here with your grandpa, alright?" He took Jack down and set him on his feet as he asked that. Jack nodded simply. "And you'll be a good boy for grandpa?" Jack nodded again._

_His dad looked back to his grandpa, hugging him, "Glad you came back, son. I missed you a lot."_

_"Bygones, water under the bridge and all that, pops. Sorry I didn't tell you about Jack earlier...I just didn't know how."_

_"Who am I to argue . Imagine that, me...a grandpa. Thanks for letting me watch over him. He looks like a great kid."_

_"Oh he is, pops. And thanks for watching him. We didn't exactly have a real honeymoon when we eloped, so we're going to make up for that. We'll be back in a few weeks to pick him up." His dad leaned down and hugged him, as did his mother. "Alright, Jack we'll see ya after a while. Remember, you're my Ace, right?"_

_Jack nodded and watched his parents disappear._

_The farm was more fun than anything he'd ever done before: More than enough room to run around and go crazy, lots of things to see, lots of things to do. His grandpa told him early on he could watch over him all the time, but that was okay. Jack could go wandering more, if that was the case. Still, he played with Jack, let him ride his old horse, gave him such good food, watched from afar as Jack dashed about and teased his chickens, saved him when said chickens got angry from Jack's tying to play "Chicken- Baseball" with their feathery bodies._

_He never wandered far, until that day he walked up the mountainside and found the meadow. Calm and peaceful, he laid down and went to sleep, only to awaken later to the sound of someone singing a little diddy. He listened to it, humming it back. It was catchy, easy to remember. He sat up and saw a young girl his own age. What she looked like was hard to determine, as she seemed to be a rather generic looking girl. He couldn't tell what color her hair or clothes were. In fact, he couldn't tell what anything was colored. It was as if he were seeing it all through a haze of dull yellow._

_"Who're you?" She asked._

_"I'm me." Jack said. "Who're you?"_

_She smiled, giggling. "I'm me, too. Wanna play?"_

_"Okay." Jack said. They frolicked in the meadow, picked flowers, watched bugs. When the day was done, she waved goodbye and walked off. The next day, she came over to see if he wanted to play, which he did. They climbed up and down Mother's Hill, resting at the top, where she taught him the diddy she ah been singing the day before. It was fun, more fun than he'd ever had._

_All too soon, though, it was all over and Jack found his parents at the farm one day, waiting to take him home. He said goodbye to his grandpa, who was sad to see him go. They turned around to leave and there was the girl, whose name he'd never learned, staring at him in confusion. "You're leaving?"_

_Jack nodded. "Uh-huh."_

_"You'll come back, won't you?" She asked._

_Jack nodded again and the two of them hugged. Jack kissed her on the cheek and she giggled, kissing him back. She waved him off as he left the village._

_Suddenly, his father was speaking to him as he walked off. "Listen, Jack, I'm sorry to tell you this, but your grandfather passed away the other day." Jack thought this ridiculous, he'd just left his grandpa and he'd been fine. It was odd, and his father sounded like he'd been speaking through a phone._

_That's because, somehow, he was. And Jack, a boy no more, but a man, sitting in a cramped locker room with a cell phone tucked to his ear. "What?" He asked, not because he couldn't hear, but because he refused to believe._

_"Jack, we just got word from Mineral Town. You're grandfather passed away a few days ago."_

_"Geez, I'm sorry, Dad."_

_"I know, Jack, but here's the thing. Apparently in his will, he left you his farm."_

_"Dad, I'm the World Champ, I can't take care of a farm."_

_"What do I do?"_

_"Tell them to sell it, I don't care."_

_"Jack, I'm not selling his farm." His father snapped, "That farm was his life, his sweat and blood, that he got from his own grandfather. I'm not selling it."_

_"Well, sell all the animals and just shutter it up for now. I can't take care of it right now. Maybe one day I can go out there and, I don't know, put up a condo or something."_

_"He'd be disappointed, Jack. I can't do it, I've got my work at the office to do."_

_"Well, I guess grandpa's farm is just screwed, isn't it?" Jack said, "We're both just too busy for it. Got too much to do and too much to see."_

_There was silence on the other end of the phone. "You know...that's exactly what I told him why I wanted to leave home. Got too much to and too much to see."_

_"Sorry, dad. Can't do it." Jack snapped the cell phone shut and sighed, rotating his eternally sore muscles and throbbing head. He reached down, digging into his bag and pulling out a medicine bottle. The bottle was for pain and it's instructions were to take one a day for pain, but Jack shook three pills into his hand and swallowed them. He sighed and tried to get himself ready for his match that night. What was it that night? What night was it, for that matter? What city was he in? God, he could feel another nervous breakdown coming on. He just wanted to curl into a ball and cry. Or scream. Or scream and cry at the same time. The noise was too much and he just wanted to shut it all out, but it was just too much._

_"It's days like this that make me wish I drank coffee." He said, feeling himself beginning to break down._

_"Hey!" He heard suddenly. "Quit cryin', you pussy! Are you gonna need a titty to suck on or what?"_

_Jack looked to the side and saw himself. He saw himself as he once was, as Ace Valentine. The man stood there, tall, imposing, seemingly invincible, wearing his trademark black tights with the red hearts with arrows through them on his legs and back; black boots, kneepads, elbow pads, hands taped up to the elbows, dark brown hair flowing just past his shoulder, mustache and goatee in place._

_How can I be looking at myself, he wondered. He looked down. He was wearing his overalls, work boots, and flannel shirt with his sleeves rolled back and his cap on backwards. He looked back at himself—at Ace—in wonder. "Are...are you talking to me?"_

_Ace strolled up to him, sneering. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, you toe- headed pansy! What, are you gonna cry now? Just because you can't make up your mind which girl you want?"_

_"I—."_

_"Who cares what you want?" Ace cried, throwing his hands about as he spoke. "You gave seven of them a chance and they screwed you. I say it's time for YOU to do some of the screwing, and I don't mean all that drama-queen backstabbing they do on soap operas! "_

_"Who're you talking about?" Jack asked, "I-I don't know any girls like that."_

_Ace laughed, throwing his head back as he strutted back and forth. "Oh, so you weren't eye-balling Pinkie's assets back on the beach? And don't even get me started on Karen. Look, you and her, naked, in the water? What? Do you need some kind of engraved invitation for nookie? That girl was throwing itat you!" He smacked his hands together to emphasize his point._

_Jack frowned against Ace's imposing stare, feeling very meek and inferior to the imposing Ace. "It wasn't like that, it was just some fun."_

_"Fun for a kid in JR. HIGH!" Ace cried, "You're a man, aren't you? Start acting like one! You got three prime chicks on your plate and you're letting you so-called consciousness get in the way?" Ace rapped his knuckles on Jack's head, "Hello? Hello, McFly? Anyone in there? Look," He wrapped his arm around Jack's neck. "I let you leave cause I was getting sick of the business, too. All that crap the docs said had me spooked too and I was getting' tired of bein' all over the globe, too. But here's the skinny: you're only in charge as long as I want. The second you start gettin' all soft, mushy, or wussy on me, I'll snap your little neck and take charge. Those little kisses you've been stealin' are nice, but it'd better be a lead in to something and something soon. Don't forget who's in charge, hear?"_

_Jack just looked at him, confused for a moment, before lifting Ace's arm off his neck and pushing him away. "Hey, I don't really need you anymore, right? There's no need for Ace Valentine in Flowerbud, okay? So just chill out."_

_Ace looked at him, stunned for a moment, then snarled lowly and snapped out a fist, decking Jack, bringing his middle knuckle down on Jack's eyebrow hard, splitting the flesh there. Jack hit the ground and tried to fight the searing pain and sudden dizziness. He felt a trickle of blood drip down his face._

_Suddenly, Ace was on top of him, wrenching his arm backwards and putting Jack in a submission and chokehold, cutting off Jack's air and wrenching his arm and back. Jack cried out, hurting from the pain of his muscles stretching, his joints popping and extending past their intended limits, his head swimming as his brain cried for air._

_"I'M IN CHARGE!" Ace hollered into his ear, "DON'T EVER FORGET THAT! THE SECOND YOU TRY AND KICK ME OUT, I"LL BE ON YOU LIKE BLACK ON A BOWLING BALL! GOT IT!"_

_"AAAH!" Jack cried, his hands scrambling to try and break Ace's grip, but the man's arms were like thick, corded iron cables, unbreakable, unmovable. He hissed, trying to breath, his face turning red, his hand extended. "GIVE UP!" Ace cried. "DO IT, YOU FUCKING PUSSY!"_

_Jack slapped his hand against the ground, giving in to the submission. Ace had won the short struggle._

xxxxx

Jack gasped, jerking up in his lawnchair. He looked around. The sun was going down below the horizon and Jack looked down to see himself drenched in cold sweat. His hands trembled uncontrollably, his breath came in ragged gasps, his heart pounded a hundred miles an hour. He put his head in his hands, whispering to himself, "It was only a dream. Only a dream. Only a dream. It's not real. It's only a dream."

Sighing, he pulled his hands back and noticed a bright red splotch on one of his fingers. He stared at it for a second, enough time for the blood above his eyebrow to trickle down into his eye. He closed it and rushed for the stream, bringing two handfuls of water to his face to wash the cold sweat and blood away.

He stared at his reflection in the water. There, right where Ace had hit him in his dream above the eyebrow, was a small cut and a red bruise surrounding it. The knuckles hitting downwards on the eyebrow was an old wrestling trick. If done right, it resulted in a split eyebrow and a little blood to heighten the drama. Blood was like a metal chair or a lead pipe. It was a prop to heighten the drama. But here, the blood was real. Here, it was a warning to Jack that Ace was more real than he thought he was.

Jack swallowed loudly and backed away from the water. He jumped up and head into his house to bandage the wound. He had just put it on when a knock came at the door and he jumped. He walked to the door and opened it to see Popuri on the other side with a covered plate in her hands. She looked at him. "Jack, are you okay? You weren't at the Cooking Festival, so I brought some of the food there."

"Oh, okay." Jack said, sinking into his home and letting Popuri in as well.

He sank onto his couch and sighed. Popuri set the plate on the table and approached him. "Jack, are you okay?"

Jack shook his head. "I dunno, Poe. I dunno. I feel...I feel like crap."

Popuri put on her sweetest smile. "Aww, I think you need a hug."

Jack didn't argue or fight as Popuri wrapped her arms around him. Jack sighed and felt comforted, more sure of himself now that she was there with him. They hugged for a long time, both oblivious to anything else. Jack soon felt much better, but when Popuri tried to pull away, he held her down. "Don't." He said. "Please, just...hold me a little longer."

Jack leaned back and Popuri looked at him, worried. She snuggled into his chest and left her arms around him, closing her eyes and simply enjoying the moment. Before long, the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms as the sun finally sank into the horizon.


	18. Terror in the Meadow

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: "TERROR IN THE MEADOW"**

The second Summer Harvest was picked, shipped, and paid for, but Jack wanted to rest for a few days before he put his final Summer Harvest in the ground. The young man avoided sleeping while fishing like the plague. Every time he tried to convince himself it was only a dream, his hand went up to the small cut on his eyebrow, which there was no denying.

Ultimately, he chose to ignore the entire thing, as it had yet to truly become some kind of problem. Still, he felt cautious around the girls and decided to scale back on his advances, as the close contact was starting to drive his hormones into orbit.

Summer so far had been two things. One: hot. Two: fun. Hot and fun didn't always necessarily go together, but in the case of Flowerbud, all the Festivals had added up to a good time—Cooking Festival aside—and the best seemed to be yet to come. The Music Festival was tonight at the Church and in three weeks was the Talent Festival, followed immediately by the Fireworks Festival, where they would celebrate the end of Summer. Kai would be leaving, sadly. His renewed friendship with his former rival/partner was a real treat to have.

Jack was reaching into his cooler for a sports drink when Kai ambled onto his farm. Jack saw him and cried out, "Man the fort! Orcs are coming!"

Kai snorted. "Ha...ha. You and your silly fantasy stories." He leaned on the cooler; Cliff came strolling up, wiping a face full of sweat on his sleeve. "What's up?"

Kai looked at them, then looked around deviously, as if someone could be listening in, then leaned closer. "You guys DO know the Talent Festival allows multiple people to enter, right?"

"I hope so." Jack said, "Wouldn't be much of a competition if one only person could enter." Jack and Cliff laughed.

"No!" Kai hissed, "I mean, we can get an act together and enter it."

Cliff and Jack looked to each other, then shrugged. "What do you have in mind?" Jack asked.

Kai smiled. "It'd take all three of us, but I think we can do it and give the town a Festival they'll NEVER forget! Listen, here's what we do..." Kai proceeded to tell them his plan, laying out all the details. Jack and Cliff broke into smiles when they heard his plan and both agreed to do it, bumping their fists together.

"We need some wood, some metal, and some cable," Jack said, "But I think we can do it. I'll get old man Saibara to help me with the metal, if you guys want to fashioned the wood planks."

"No problem." Cliff said. "How long will this take?"

"About a week or so, if we work fast enough." Jack said, "I should know. I've had to build one from scratch like this before."

"Ya, me too." Kai said, "Thanks guys. This'll positively blow everyone's minds!"

"No doubt!" Cliff laughed.

"For sure!" Jack said, "But we need to build it in the barn, so no one can see. And we'll have to haul it to the Square early in the morning, before anyone can see it."

"It's gonna be heavy." Kai said.

"We'll just have Cliff get his girlfriend to carry it." Jack said, poking Cliff in the side. "What with the way I got owned during that arm wrestling contest, it should be no problem for her."

"That reminds me," Cliff said, "Thanks for letting her win. It's nice to have Ann spend Friday Nights with us."

Jack frowned. "Let her win? That insane girl almost tore my arm off! If I were you, I wouldn't make her mad. Let her win all the fights. My arm was sore for weeks!" Jack sighed, rubbing his poor elbow joint as if remembering the contest somehow brought the pain back.

Kai, Cliff, and Jack set off that night for the Music Festival, which was more fun that Jack had been lead to believe. Pastor Ben had shoved an ocarina into his hands and asked Jack to play. Jack would have refused, but they were in luck, or so he explained, "I actually use to play one of these." He said to Karen, who would be singing, "There used to be a video game with an ocarina in it. It was kinda popular, so I bought one and learned how to play the little diddy they played on the game." So Jack played for the night, repeating the same diddy over and over again with everyone. Cliff recognized the tune, being an avid video game fan himself, and laughed himself silly the entire time.

Summer was rushing by, no doubt. Jack was anxious for Fall, when the weather would be cooler. For some reason, he loved cool weather—even cold weather. He'd be left with a lot of time on his hands, something he was looking forward too.

Fun though the Music Festival was, Jack went back to work on the secret project he and his cohorts were preparing. His mind reeled when he thought of what the townsfolk would think of their talent act. He was already hearing rumors of Karen singing, which she did and did very well—as her performance from the Music Festival was testimony to the fact.

The next morning, he was up and splitting wood, sanding it down and shaping it. Cliff helped. At lunchtime, the heard a knock on the barn door. Jack turned to Cliff. "The tarp!"

"Hey, guys!" Ann's voice cried, "What're ya doin'?"

"Plotting world domination!" Jack cried, grabbing a large cloth tarp and fighting with Cliff to get it over their project. "Just a second!"

Ann and Popuri stood outside the door, listening to Jack and Cliff argue.

"Jack, You've got the wrong side!"

"I do not!"

"Yes, you're holding it wrong, too!"

"Don't tell me what I'm holding wrong, look at what you're holding! You couldn't hold something if your life depended on it."

"Well...I have a girlfriend!"

"I had seven!"

"But they were all terrible, you said so yourself!"

"Are you going to help me, Cliff, or flap your jaw all day? Grab the...no, not...like this, just...NO! You're such an idiot!"

"I'd rather be an idiot than a has-been! OW! What'd you do that for?"

Ann and Popuri looked to each other. "What're they doing in there?"

Popuri wrinkled her nose. "Maybe they're, like, wrestling or something."

Ann rolled her eyes, the sounds of heightened arguing coming from within. "You guys better hurry up or we're leaving!"

"Good!" Jack replied, "Who needs you?"

"I need her!" Cliff cried back. Ann and Popuri giggled.

"What you need is a mudhole stomped on your face!" Jack cried back. "There. Let them in." The barn door was thrown open and Cliff, with a red welt on his eye, smiled at the two of them. "Morning ladies, what brings you here so early?" Their eyes drifted to the white cloths, ripped in one place, pulled over their working material.

Jack took a single look at the picnic basket in Popuri's hands and knew what was going on. He smacked Cliff in the back of the head. "What're you blind, sparky? We're going on a picnic. Come on!" He said, dragging them away from the barn. "Let's go!" Popuri tried to sneak a peek into the barn, but Jack used his form to block her eyes. Popuri danced around as he walked forward, trying to look past him.

"Hey, I wanna see what you guys are doing in there!" she said,

Jack sighed and picked Popuri up by her waist and slung her over his shoulder, "HEY! PUT ME DOWN! LEMMIE GO, LEMMIE GO!" She kicked and cried as he walked off.

"You don't wanna see what's in there." Jack said. He looked over to Cliff, upon whose back Ann had jumped. He walked away with the girls in tow and walked up the mountain pass until they reached the meadow, where Basil was busy picking herbs. He waved at them as they passed and chose a nice shaded spot where Popuri could spread their blanket.

"This was a nice idea." Cliff said, stretching out on the blanket, hogging all the space. Popuri merely took out a jar of mayo and promptly dropped it onto Cliff's gut, causing him to double over and half-laugh, half-groan. "Make some space for the rest of us." She said.

"Be careful, Cliff." Ann said, "Popuri doesn't like anyone messing up her picnics."

Popuri 'Hmph'-ed and pressed her fist onto her hip. "Well, I went to a lot of work to prepare this nice picnic and no one is going to spoil it. Cliff, sit up."

"Yes, ma'am." Cliff groaned, holding his stomach and leveling the mayo jar. The four of them sat down on the blanket, enjoying a nice breeze that floating their way as Poprui and Ann fixed them some sandwiches. Jack poured himself and Cliff a glass of sweetened ice tea, homemade at the Inn.

He was enjoying himself, sitting at Popuri's side when suddenly she turned around, her face both angry and flushed beet red. She dropped her bread and reached out and slapped Jack as hard as she could, sending him flailing backwards with his tea spilling on his face. Ann and Cliff laughed. Jack sat up, angry, glaring at her. "What was THAT for?"

"Keep your perverted hands to yourself!" She cried.

Jack put a hand to the stinging red handprint on his cheek. "I didn't do anything!" He protested.

Ann was cracking up when she suddenly fell silent, looking back at Cliff, who was sitting behind her and laughing as well. She spun around, standing on her knees and drove her fist into Cliff's gut. The boy's air escaped in a loud 'WHOOF' and he fell backwards, clutching his tortured gut and whimpered loudly. Ann snorted in approval. "That goes double for you."

"B-but I didn't even touch you." He whimpered.

Jack sat up and shook the stinging off his face. Popuri finished making their sandwich and they tried to eat, forgetting about the incident. Ann and Cliff stood up and stretch their legs and walked over to pick at some flowers. Jack perked his ears and heard Popuri, who never spoke as softly as she thought she did, say to Ann, "He pinched my butt!"

"Cliff did too."

Jack turned to Cliff. "What'd you do?"

"Nothing. What'd you do?

"Nothing. What'd YOU do?"

"NOTHING! What did YOU do?"

Jack growled in frustration. "I didn't do anything, slick, so it must have been something YOU did."

Cliff rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, blame the rookie."

Jack nodded. "Darn right I will. Here they come, shut up." They smiled as Popuri brought some flower back to perk up their picnic and placed them together in the picnic basket. She kneeled down in front of it, making sure they were placed properly.

Jack was simply eating his chips when Popuri let out a loud, "EEP!" and spun around, turning into a hard slap that sent Jack tumbling side-over- side onto the grass. He cried out, "OOOOW!"

Ann spun around and faced Cliff. "Don't you touch me again!"

Cliff shrugged silently, shaking his head.

Suddenly, Ann let out a cry and spun around, seeing Popuri behind her laughing slightly. Popuri was laughing at her scolding Cliff, but Ann didn't know that. She thought Popuri was doing what she'd told Cliff not to do, so she bonked Popuri on top of the head. "OW!"

"That wasn't funny!" Ann cried.

Popuri rubbed her head. "I didn't do anything!"

"You pinched my butt!" Ann said.

"I never touched your butt!" Popuri protested.

"Hey, where's my sandwich?" Jack asked, looked over at the blanket and seeing it gone.

"My pickle is gone!" Cliff said, looking around.

"Wait a minute." Jack said, pointing. "What's that?"

Everyone looked at what Jack was pointing to: the picnic basket was moving slightly Cliff lifted the lid. All four of them stared in.

A gopher stared back.

Jack's vision went red. He reached into his back pocket and whipped out his utility knife, raising it high as he started to scream, "_**DIE**_!" when Popuri planted her foot soundly between Jack's legs, sending him back onto the ground, crying in pain. She put her hands on her hips. "Jack, I told you not to hurt these poor little creatures! HMPH!"

Popuri leaned down, smiling. She petted the gopher on its head. "Hi, there, little fella. You wouldn't hurt anyone, now would you?"

It sniffed her finger once, then promptly bit down on it.

"AAYYEEEEEE!" Popuri screamed, her hand flailing as he tried to dislodge the critter. Eventually, it let go and dropped to the ground, skittering into the picnic basket to make off with another wrapped sandwich.

"HE'S STEALING MY FOOD!" Popuri screamed, watching the gopher make off with the sandwich. She lifted her skirt and dashed after it. It skittered over Jack's neck, passing him up. Popuri used Jack's face for a spring board to launch herself into the air in a diving fall to try and snatch the little creature. She slammed into the ground, grass and dirt grinding into her face and dress as she reached out with both hands to grab him, but ultimately he dipped into a hole carefully concealed by the grass and escaped her reached. Popuri sighed, then looked at the hole. She stuck her hand in, fishing around.

"Don't do that!" Jack cried.

_**CHOMP**_!

"_**AAAYYYEEEEE**_!" Popuri screamed, pulling her hand out. "HE BIT ME!"

"And the golden genius award goes to POPURI!" Ann cried. "Chill out, girl. It's only a gopher."

"He's a MEAN gopher!" Popuri said, tears welling in her eyes. "He bit me twice."

"I bet he was the one pinching our butts." Ann said. She turned to Cliff, smiling apologetically. "Heh, sorry, Cliff. Forgive me?"

"Only when I can breathe normally again." Cliff moaned, rubbing his sore belly. Popuri had lifted herself off the ground, rubbing her sore finger. Jack's eyes widened as her finger drew upwards. "Popuri!"

Too late, on instinct she put her finger in her mouth.

"That was in a gopher's mouth!" He cried.

Popuri pulled her finger out at once and stuck out her tongue, "EEEYCK!"

Jack laughed, then stopped. Laughing made his lower level life-forms hurt. "Good one, Poe. You've got gopher germs now." He smiled, watching Popuri run to the pitcher of water and pour herself a glass, then rinsed her mouth furiously, spitting out several glasses of water before she was satisfied the gopher germs were gone. By this time, Cliff and Ann were rolling on the ground in laughter. Jack was sitting up, nursing his sore crotch.

Popuri looked at Jack and fell to her knees in front of him, taking his hands in hers, "Oh Jack, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

"Grow some boy parts, then let me kick you." Jack moaned. "I...I fear for my future children."

"If you can have any." Cliff said,

"They'll be brain-dead." Jack moaned. Popuri looked somewhat hurt, sorry that she had delivered such swift retribution for something Jack didn't even do. Suddenly, she felt a familiar pinch on her butt and looked down to see the gopher at her backside, seemingly grinning.

"PERVERTED RAT!" She cried. She stood up and tired to stomp it with her feet, but it scurried out at the last second every time her foot came down. Popuri danced in a circle, stomping her feet as she moved when the gopher ran onto Jack's crotch. Without thinking, Popuri brought her foot down, smashing Jack in the jewels again. This time he fell over, holding himself, as the gopher ran off and Ppouri held her hands to her mouth, shocked. "OH GOODNESS! Jack, I'm so sorry!"

"Paaaaain." Jack cried.

The gopher ran between Popuri's legs, towards a sitting Ann. The tomboy gasped as it ran onto her shoulder. Suddenly, Popuri rushed in and tried to slap at it, succeeding only slapping her hand against Ann's face. The girl stood in shock for a second, but suddenly the gopher scurried into Ann's coveralls, roaming around inside the clothes. Ann shrieked. "AGH! GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!"

Popuri started slapping Ann on her body, trying to get the gopher as she watched it's form move in and around Ann's clothes. Eventually, Ann got tired of it and pushed Popuri away. "Stop! I'll get him myself." She reached in and grabbed the gopher, pulling him out and staring him in the face. "You got a problem?"

He bit her hand. "OW $#!" She yelled, slinging the gopher at Popuri, who shrieked as the gopher fell into her blouse and started running around in there. Popuri began to frantically scream and dance around, her hands flailing as she cried, "IT'S IN MY DRESS! HELP ME! JACK!"

Jack moaned and fought back tears. She was on her own.

Ann grabbed her by the shoulders and stopped her. "Hold on, I see him!" She spied a small lump on her blouse and promptly punched Popuri in the chest. She girl cried, "OOOW! HEY!"

Ann chuckled, "Oops, sorry. That was your boob, wasn't it? There he is!" She drove her fist into Popuri's side, then her gut, trying to hit the small rodent as it spun around in her dress. Finally, Popuri looked down and the gopher fell out of her dress, hit the ground and ran across the blanket...and into a sitting Cliff's pants leg.

"WHOA!" He cried, jumping up. "Get outta there! OW! I NEED THOSE!" HE cried, batting at his pants and inner thighs, trying to get the rodent out of his pants.

Ann started his way. "Hold on, I see him! He's right on your crotch!" She reared her leg back.

"NO WAY!" Cliff screamed, falling to the ground. He undid his pants in a split second and yanked them off. They hit the ground, but the gopher caught them in his mouth and ran off with them. Cliff sighed, but then realized he was wearing no pants and ran off after the gopher. Surely, he figured, it couldn't pull his pants into a gopher hole. It didn't. Instead, it pulled them into a crevasse at the edge of the mountainside and disappeared, leaving Cliff standing in the meadow with only his boxers on—nice white boxers with pink hearts on them.

And thus it ended so. In the end, Jack went home with a sore set of grapefruits, two hand prints and a footprint on his face. Popuri went home with several bruises on her stomach and side, not to mention a several bitten finger and a bitter taste in her mouth. Ann retreated with little more than red slap marks on her arms and face. And Cliff went home minus his pants and what little pride he had.

Ultimately, it was agreed that all picnics from then on would be carried out in Rose Square, where gophers can't burrow through laden brick and mortar. Legend still tells of Cliff's Pants, which run around on Mother's Hill during the full moon. The gopher is still known to be at large. If you have any information leading to the whereabouts of this small creature, please contact your local animal control facility. Do not attempt to apprehend yourself, as it is considered very dangerous and sneaky. 


	19. End of Summer Part One

**  
>CHAPTER NINETEEN: "SUMMER'S END: PART ONE"<strong>

Early morning on the day of the Talent Festival, Kai, Cliff, and Jack somehow managed to move their secret project from Jack's barn to Rose Square without managing to alert anyone or kill each other in the process.

They settled their project, still covered in a large blue tarp, onto the brick and mortar ground of the square. A large staging area had been set up for the contest and it was set off to the side of the area. Jack placed a sign that read: "Touch this and I'll sentence you to death by meat clown." Senseless though it was, it worked because no one dared look under the tarp. Perhaps it was their undying fear of a meat clown—whatever those may be.

After nearly killing themselves, they retreated back to Kai's place to have breakfast. As they did so, Kai showed them the last pieces of their project. Jack was impressed. "Good work, Kai. Thought I was going to have to do this in my boxers."

"Amgio, anything you want, I got. Those...just a souvenir from when I knew you before you were who your were. Cliff, here's yours."

"Aww." Cliff moaned, "I wish I could be part of this like you guys. What about a Three-Way."

"No!" Jack said. "We need you for this. No one else can do this. Besides, we're veterans. You're just a rookie. You're lucky to do this and I do mean lucky. Besides, your big mouth has to be put to SOME good use."

Cliff conceded the point as Jack and Kai got ready for their end of the deal.

xxxxx

"Welcome to another year of the Talent Festival!" The Mayor announced, standing in the staging area in front of the entire village. Everyone applauded and the Mayor continued. "This year we have five entries into the Festival and the grand prize is a gift box from everyone in the village. The box includes a bottle of Aja Wine, a package of fine chocolates from the General Store, some fine homegrown veggies from the Old Time farm, a bundle of fat eggs from the Poultry Farm, several bottles of milk and wool from the Yodel Farm, and a free food pass to Kai's place for the remainder of the summer!" Everyone applauded at the gift box, which was worth quite a bit. The mayor had asked everyone to contribute to it and Jack was more than happy to do so.

Jack had talked to the mayor. They would be the last act to go on.

"The first contestants up are Ann and Zack." He announced and Ann ran up, waving her arms; Cliff whistled loudly. Jack leaned in his ear. "Did you know about this?"

"I knew she was planning something and because I'm helping you guys, she won't tell me what it is. So she had to get Zack to help her."

"Thank you." Ann said to everyone. "For this year's contest, I will be demonstraiting my greatest talent, assisted by the wonder Zack. I call this demonstration 'Ann Breaks Stuff'."

Silence.

Ann signaled to Zack, who reached into a large box and produced a large two- by-four. He held it in his hands, as if he were trying to turn it into a small table in front of his chest. Ann stood before him, eyes closed, and remained standing there for a few seconds before opening her mouth and letting out a feral scream, then driving her forehead through the two-by- four, snapping it. She turned to the crowd and bowed. Cliff clapped, but his clapping died slowly as he realized no one else was clapping.

Zack produced another two-by-four from the box and held it before him. Ann screamed bloody murder and drove her fist through it, reducing the two-by- four into a splintered mess. She bowed, again to even more polite applause. If she was determined to kill herself, they decided they should at least be polite about it.

Next Zack and Ann set up some cinder blocks to set up more two-by-fours on them. Ann started smashing one after the other, stacking them two or three at a time. She let out a horrifying scream each time she broke them with her fist or face.

At some point, Doug said to himself, "No wonder I'm missing some wood from my storeroom.

The finale consisted of four in a row, doused with lighter fluid and set on fire. Ann screamed at the boards as if she were diving off a cliff and used her forearm to blast through the boards, sending them flying into the air in flaming splinters. But she didn't stop there, she started yelling incoherently and started kicking the cinder blocks, reducing them to pebbles and dust. Zack ran over and grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, drawing her out of her trance. Ann blinked twice and sighed, shaking her hands. She turned to the crowd and bowed again. They applauded politely, stunned and in utter shock.

Ann came to stand next to Cliff as the Mayor stepped forward to announce the next contestants. Cliff leaned down and asked her, "That was nice, but doesn't that hurt you?"

Ann smiled, "Oh, I can't feel anything. I'm so drunk right now, I can barely stand up."

Cliff cocked an eyebrow. "You don't look or sound drunk."

Ann turned to him and smiled, running her fingers through her hair. "Thanks. I used to cut it in the summertime, but I figured a braid would do me much better."

"Ann, are you okay?"

"Ja! Mein leapen!" She said, before sinking to the concrete with a glazed look in her eyes. Cliff sat her in a nearby bench and propped her up so she at least looked like she was alive, although he had to wipe some drool away from her mouth.

"The next contestant is Karen." The Mayor announced. Karen strode out wearing a robe. Kai and Jack eyed each other in wonder. She set an old time record player on the ground and the stood up. "For the festival, I will be performing a dance to Duarch's 'Moonstruck Melody'." She removed her robe to reveal that she was wearing a one piece purple leotard. She bent over and set the record player in motion. The sounds of classical music played over the speaker and Jack noted how fluidly she moved as she began a dance of spins, twirls, and constant leg and arm movement. Jack had never really had much used or love for dance, but he appreciated how talented one had to be in order to do it. He felt it was owed to them, since hardly anyone appreciated how much work went into being a pro wrestler.

Her dance was well over ten minutes in length and she poured her whole heart into it. When it was done she bowed and the village applauded her efforts. She smiled genuinely and returned to her robe, trying to hide her blushing face. She wasn't used to being the center of attention. Her mother hugged her. "Oh Karen, you dance divinely."

Jack approached her. "Good job, Karen. You've got some skills." Karen hugged him in thanks. "Thank you, Jack. That means a lot to me."

"I mean it." Jack said, "You could do that professionally if you wanted."

Karen blushed deeper, but said nothing else.

The Mayor stood up and announced, "Our next contestant is Gray."

Gray stepped forward and there was no hiding the six-string acoustic guitar in his hands. He cleared his throat. "Ah...I didn't write this song, but it's one of my favorites, so I'll sing it. If you guys know it, feel free to go along." He strummed the opening cords of a song, but it wasn't until he started singing with a country accent that Jack realized Gray was singing Toby Keith's 'I Love This Bar'. He chuckled to himself. It was a good song and sure enough, when some parts of the song came up, He, Cliff, and Zack sang along with the young man, not to detract or help him, but just because it was part of the song. When he finished, he took a bow and gathered the applause for himself. Jack made a mental note to talk with Gray later. He had an idea.

The Mayor stood up and said, "Our next contestant is Duke and Manna." The two of them strode forward and Jack immediately noticed that Duke had a gunbelt strung across his waist with an old fashioned six-shooter in the holster.

"Today," Duke said, "I'll demonstrate some old fashioned skills that you just can't find nowadays. Pay attention, Jack. You might learn something."

Jack turned his nose up at the man. He was in for a surprise.

Duke turned to Manna, who had an apple in her hand. She waited for him to nod that he was ready and then she tossed it up into the air. Duke's hand shot to the holster and yanked out the six-shooter, firing a quick shot into the air at the apple. Jack clearly saw the apple explode into a hundred pieces and he applauded with the rest of the villagers.

Duke wasn't done. Mann then took an old rolling pin and tossed it high into the air. Duke narrowed his eyes and drew again, firing one shot...then a second shot a second later. The rolling pin hit the ground and Mann picked it up, showing it to the crowd. There, on the pin, were Duke's two shots, but more than just hitting the pin, Duke had made sure his shots had blasted on pin were right next to each other, as if done with a level and a drill. Jack WAS impressed.

There was more. Manna threw a metal knife into the air and Duke shot it, causing it to spin further into the air. It came back down and Duke shot it again, sending it back into the air. It came down, he shot it, sent it back up. He did this until his last bullet was spent, but his hands popped the chamber out, sending the empty casings to the ground as his hands furiously put six more bullets into it faster than Jack would have thought possible. He slapped it shut, and took another shot, sending the descending knife back into the air.

Duke turned around with a cocky, but rightfully earned, grin on his face. "You see...now..."

BANG! He hit the knife again, sending it back up.

"You see now...I'm just..."

BANG! Another hit.

"Now I'm just showing off." He laughed. He hit the knife until all six of those bullets were spent and he left the knife tumbled to the ground. It was full of holes and dings, obviously unusable. He held it up and tossed it aside. Jack reached down and picked it up, then gave it to Popuri to give back to him later. For some reason, Jack wanted to keep that knife.

Duke reloaded and nodded to Manna, who held up her hands. "Six half- dollars." She announced.

Jack shook his head in disbelief. "No way."

Duke turned to Manna and nodded. The young wife tossed all six coins in the air. Duke, with the rest of the village, watched as they tumbled through the air, reaching their peak. When they reached that peak, Duke yanked out the six shooter and unloaded the gun, twisting each shot in another direction. The coins hit the ground and Duke spun around, tucking the six shooter into his holster.

Stu and Mann went running to fetch the coins and brought them back. Manna held up each coin and tossed them to the crowd. In the end, it was just as they had suspected: six coins, all with a bullet hole right in the middle.

Kai leaned to Jack. "That's gonna be a hard one to follow."

"No kidding." Jack breathed. "That man has some skills, no doubt."

"Our turn. Let's go get it." Kai and Jack began pushing their large secret into the staging area as the Mayor announced, "Our last contestants are Jack and Kai, with assistance from Cliff."

Jack and Kai stood on the side with a large CD player ready. They began to take their clothes off as Cliff untied the 'Secret' and yanked the blue tarp off, revealing a hastily constructed, but solidly built wrestling ring.

It was regulation size, the cables and turnbuckles covered in red tape. Cliff pulled a black-and-white striped shirt on as he climbed into the ring and stood before the town. Every villager was looking at one another in confusion. Cliff announced, "For our demonstration today, Jack 'The Valentine' Harris will be taking on the international star of the squared circle, Julius Kaiser! The following contest is scheduled for one fall and can be won by pinfall, count-out, or submission!"

Kai hit the CD player and it played his old theme song to the ring, Powerman 5000's 'Bombshell'. He strolled cockily into the ring as Cliff announced him. "Introducing first from Mexico City, Mexico...weighting in at 6 feet and two hundred-ten pounds...JULIUS KAISER!"

About half the village cheered for Kai, who strode around wearing purple wrestling trunks with the name 'KAISER' inscribed in gold letters on the backside, black boots, wrist bands, and his purple bandana.

Jack cut his music and played his own, Jimi Hendrix's 'Voodoo Child' as Cliff announced him to the ring, "And introducing his opponent, from Cedar Creek, Arkansas." (That part Jack had Cliff make up) "Weighing in at six foot, two inches and two-hundred fifty pounds...JACK 'THE VALENTINE' HARRIS!"

The other half of the village cheered Jack, which included Popuri, who shouted, "GO JACK!" at him. Jack was wearing his old wrestling tights. Black, with red valentine hearts lining the sides of the legs and on the backside, black boots that said 'Valentine' on the side, his hands taped up to his forearm and elbow pads. Jack strode to the corner turnbuckle and mount the middle one, standing up and raising his arms.

He leapt down and he and Kai circled each other, both smiling knowingly. Flowerbud had no idea what it was about to see. Kai and Jack had talked before hand, both wanting to know just how far they could take it. Obviously, metal chairs and gushing blood were out, so they opted for an old school bout with just them and no foreign weapons or cheats.

Problem was, neither man trusted the other.

Cliff killed the CD player and grabbed a rope at the edge of the ring, yanking on it and ringing the bell, officially starting the match. Jack and Kai circled each other. They'd both been stretching and getting ready for the match since that morning, going through some light exercises to get ready for it. Jack pranced a little in the ring, his feet deftly dancing back and forth. He could help but grin. "GOD, I missed this." He said to himself.

He and Kai slapped hands and charged each other, locking up in the middle of the ring and pushing. Jack was the larger of the two, the stronger, but he knew Kai was quick with his moves. Kai floated like a butterfly, stung like a hornet. He quickly pushed Kai into the corner and Cliff came over to break them up, not wanting any unfairness as long as he was the ref.

Jack backed up and he and Kai circled again, catching in another lock up. Jack hooked Kai's tights and hit him with a snap suplex. They got to their feet and Kai hit Jack with a quick dropkick. Jack snapped up and hit Kai with a stiff elbow to the chin. Kai went backwards and came off the ropes with a spinning heel kick, but Jack got back up and the two faced off again.

The villagers, stunned but impressed, gave them a quick bit of applause. Jack and Kai turned to each other again, locking up before Jack shot Kai to the ropes and hit him with a clothesline, then went down and took Kai's knee and twisted around, trying to take the high-flyer off his rocker. Whereas Kai's style was high-flying, high-impact, Jack had always preferred grappling and submission. Well, that was false. Jack excelled at all aspects of wrestling: technical, highflying, roughneck, brawling, grappling. But against, Kai, he'd always had success taking him to the mat, trying to keep him off his feet. Kai would use the ropes like a springboard and he wasn't against using his entire body as a flying weapon.

Kai hollered and Cliff kneeled near him, seeing if Kai was going to tap out. Kai put one boot on Jack's butt and pushed him forward. Jack stumbled and fell on the middle rope. Kai snapped to his feet and—shades of Rey Mysterio showing—hit the rope on the side of Jack and used them to snapped himself around, planting his feet onto Jack's face. Jack fell back and felt his nose, looking at Kai, who was climbing the turnbuckle.

That was underhanded, dirty, low-down. Kai had obviously ripped off Rey Mysterio's signature move—the 619—and used it on Jack. In the business, ripping off another wrestler's signature move was taboo, considered not only asking for bad luck, but also risking angering said wrestler. Of course, they weren't in the business or AWF, where such an infraction was frowned upon, but in Flowerbud, where nothing they did mattered. Obviously, Kai was hoping on that to throw Jack off, but the farmer smiled to himself, knowing Kai wouldn't expect him to figure out his strategy so fast.

Kai turned around on the top, but Jack was already running up the turnbuckle, hitting Kai with a huge super-plex to plant him in the middle of the ring. Jack rolled around and hooked Kai's leg. Cliff hit the mat, counting 1...2...Kai kicked out.

Jack stood back to his feet and took Kai with him, holding him by his bandana. Kai suddenly slipped out of it, and ran to the ropes, coming off and running for Jack. Jack swung for a clothesline, but Kai ducked under it and hit the ropes on the opposite side. Jack turned around and Kai leapt up, his legs catching Jack's throat and hitting Jack with a wicked hurricaranna, one that tossed Jack through the ropes and onto the outside.

Jack got up as Cliff started counting down. He sighed, taking in Kai for a moment. Cliff reached eight and Jack rolled back into the ring, then rolled back out, breaking the ten count and starting another. He had to rethink his strategy, Kai was too good at countering him with those high- flying tricks. Jack wished he had a few tables to put him through.

Jack rolled right back into the ring and he wrestled with Kai again, this time hitting him with a Russian leg sweep before trying to plant his elbow onto Kai's face. Kai rolled out and jack hit the mat, pain shooting through his side. Kai leapt over Jack's side and used the corner ropes to hit Jack with a split-legged moonsault, then he covered Jack. Cliff counted, 1...2...Jack got his shoulder up.

Kai got up and hauled Jack to his feet, standing a groggy Jack up and then going to the ropes. Jack saw him coming and caught Kai, planting him to the mat with a powerful spinebuster. Kai went down and Jack hauled him back up, hooking him around the waist and pulling him up in hopes of a powerbomb, but Kai, in mid-air, was in his element. As he swung up, he reversed the momentum and tuned Jack's powerbomb into a face plant that brought Jack's head to the mat as Kai fell down, landing squarely on his butt.

Jack and Kai rolled to their feet and approached, their hands spread as if to grapple again, but Jack surprised Kai. He snapped out and drove his fist into Kai's face, putting Kai onto the mat with a single well-placed punch. Kai reeled, seeing stars and Jack looming over him.

Jack had turned the wrestling match into a brawl.

He put his boots to Kai's side, stomping on him until Cliff broke them apart. Kai stood up, holding his side and muttering, "Dirty sneaky little sucker."

"Don't be mad cause I'm so good." Jack said. Kai charged and took Jack to the corner turnbuckle, pinning him in as Jack tried hammer fists onto Kai's backside. He spread Jack's arms apart, then hit him with a hard chop to the chest, accentuating his chop with a loud, 'WOOO!' Jack cried out, but Kai spread his arms and hit him with another chop and another 'WOOO!', which the villagers echoed.

Five chops later, Jack's chest was covered in red welts, but when Kai went for another chop, he pushed his luck and Jack caught him then grabbed him and spun him around, putting Kai into the corner and peppering his head with hard rights. When he hit his last punch, he drove his knuckle onto Kai's eyebrow, splitting it open with a sickening sound. Kai fell to the mat, his forehead bleeding and his head bobbing almost as if he were lifeless.

Jack was oblivious to the silence of the crowd and he hauled Kai into the ring, covering him. Cliff counted 1...2...Kai's hand shot into the air. Jack grinned. "You want more."

"I wanna pound your face, amigo." Kai said, breathlessly.

Jack hauled Kai to his feet and hit him with another punch to the face. Kai fell backwards, but he bounced off the ropes and as Jack came at him with a clothesline, Kai caught his arm, shot Jack to the ropes and hit Jack with a dropkick to the chest. Jack sat up, but Kai bounced off the ropes and snapped his foot against Jack's head with a flying eziguri.

Jack hit the mat and Kai wasted no time. He climbed the nearest turnbuckle and stood straight up, spreading his arms out and hollering loudly before launching himself off in a backflip, hitting Jack with a perfectly executed Shooting Star Press. He and Jack both bounced upwards from the impact and Kai tried to hook Jack's legs, but Jack suddenly shot up with his legs and pulled Kai forward, pinning his shoulders to the mat instead. Cliff counted 1...2...Kai kicked out.

Jack and Kai sat up, heaving for breath. They stared at one another. Both cast a sly grin and jumped towards each other, exchanging blow after blow until Jack finally drove Kai back and shot him to the ropes. Kai came back and tried to kick Jack in the gut, but Jack caught his foot, spun him around and hit Kai with a picture perfect Stone Cold Stunner. Kai bounced up and went down. Jack heard Cliff cry, "STUNNER! STUNNER! STUNNER!", laughing at him. He went to cover Kai, but the high-flyer kicked out before one. Jack hit the mat in frustration. He stood up, grabbed Kai's legs, then snapped Kai into the Sharpshooter, wrenching backwards to try and get Kai to tap out. Kai cried in pain for a moment, but he dove forward and caught the rope, forcing Jack to break the hold.

Kai stumbled to his feet, but Jack grabbed him from behind and hit Kai with a German suplex pin. Cliff counted 1...2...Kai rolled out to save himself, but Jack kept his hold on him and prepared to give him another one, but as he pulled back, Kai grabbed the ropes and Jack fell backwards with no one in his arms. Kai leapt up and bounced off the ropes to hit Jack with a moonsault, hooking his legs as he did, but Jack's hand suddenly shot up into Kai's mouth, hooking him with a Mandible Claw that had Kai crying out on his knees. Jack held him tight, and Kai couldn't bite his fingers, but the youth took Jack's hand and forced himself backwards through the ropes, forcing Jack to let go.

Kai struggled to his feet, working his sore jaw. He didn't expect what came next. He looked up to see Jack coming off the ropes on the opposite side and then launching himself over the ropes, landing on Kai outside the ring. Cliff started to count them out and Jack hurled Kai back into the ring like a rag doll. He rolled in himself and he hauled Kai to the turnbuckle, where he placed Kai on the top to hit him with another superplex, but Kai nailed Jack in the face with a hard fist and pushed him back. Kai climbed up, hoping to hit another moonsaut, but Jack rolled out of the way and Kai hit nothing but mat. Jack bounced up and climbed the turnbuckle, then launched himself off with a flying elbow, hitting Kai hard. He hooked him, Cliff sliding down to count 1...2...Kai's arm shot up just as Cliff was about to count three. Jack jumped up, yelling at Cliff. "That was three!"

"Only two!" Cliff said.

Jack spun around and Kai was there, nailing Jack in the ribs with a spear. The two collided violently and went down. Jack wheezed for breath; Kai stood to his knees. He could have pinned Jack, but Kai had to follow through his with high-flying finisher. He slowly climbed to the top of the turnbuckle, unaware that Jack was rolling onto his own feet. Kai turned around, and found Jack on the top turnbuckle with him. He tried to hit Jack off, but the young man grabbed Kai by his trunks and lifted him waaay up above his head, holding him there for several long moments before He brought both his and Kai's full weight crashing down onto the mat.

The force of the blow send them both crashing through the planks of the homemade ring, collapsing it's legs and making the entire thing fall apart from the force of the blow. Jack and Kai laid prone in them idle of the broken ring, a single depression made from their impact. Slowly, ever so slowly, they actually crawled to their feet, coming up together as Cliff, who'd stumbled upon the collapse of the ring, was reaching the end of his double-countout.

Kai and Jack faced each other, bodies sore, chests heaving, skin wet with sweat. They charged forward, both with their arms drawn back to hit one another, but Jack pulled back and caught Kai's arm, then hooked his other one and pulled him up, holding him straight as an arrow as he powerbombed Kai right on his head and shoulders, a vicious move called the Vertebreaker.

Jack went down and hooked Kai's legs. Cliff counted, 1...2...3!

He pulled the string and the bell rang. "The winner...JACK HARRIS!" He called.

It was then Jack realized the entire village was cheering, their voices raised as Cliff came over and raised Jack's hand in victory. Jack shook his head, grinning as he cried out, "WOOOO!" Popuri ran over and wrapped her arms around his neck, letting Jack spin her around. "Oh, Jack! That was incredible!"

Gray ran up, his eyes wide. "Jack, I've never seen anything like that before!"

Jack looked down at Kai, who was laying down, and gasping for air. Jack held out his hand and Kai took it. He helped the man stand to his feet and the two former rivals hugged, thanking each other for such a blockbuster performance. The cheers of their fellow townsfolk followed them on into the night.

END PART ONE...


	20. End of Summer Part Two

**CHAPTER TWENTY: SUMMER'S END: PART TWO**

Rick owned a retarded rooster.

That was the only way Jack knew how to describe it. They had one rooster to their entire coop of chickens, so there was a lot of speculation between Cliff and Jack as to what the problem was. Cliff took the crude theory and figured that the rooster was having so much "fun" with all of those hens at his disposal that he simply didn't know night from day.

Jack preferred his own theory: the rooster was retarded. There was little else that could explain his behavior. He crowed.

He crowed at dawn

He crowed five minutes AFTER dawn.

He crowed twenty minutes after THAT.

He crowed every few minutes and Jack assumed it was because he was so retarded, he simply didn't know when dawn was so he just crowed in a ceaseless carol of mind-numbing rooster speak just to be sure his chance to crow at dawn wasn't missed.

Thus, Jack didn't rely on his neighbor's rooster for an alarm clock. He had a nice old fashioned windup alarm clock set to go off at dawn. The alarm scared him, since it was so loud, but he wouldn't miss the sunrise with this fire alarm by his bed. He practically drove his fist into the small clock as it went off and groaned out loud.

The previous day's assessment of '_Gonna be sore in the mornin'_ was proving true. The wrestling match, which had won him, Kai, and Cliff the Talent Festival, had left all three in a nearly comatose state of pain. Still, there was nothing else he could do. Today was the last day of Summer and if he had calculated things right, then he should be in for a world of work.

He looked out at the fields and smiled to see his tomatoes all in full ripeness, ready for an eager picking. He jumped into the shower, letting the hot spray take some of the soreness off his body, and gobbled down a grilled cheese sandwich with cotto salami in the middle. A breakfast like that would have gotten him crucified by his fitness trainer.

He kicked the door down, squinting as he remembered that the Earth revolved around a flaming sphere. The rooster was still crowing. Retard.

Jack was ready for the day's work. It was the final Summer Harvest and he and Cliff had a lot of veggies to pluck and get ready for harvest. To say nothing of his potatoes and onions. They had a row of each from the head of the field to the bottom and that was going to be a lot. It was Jack's biggest harvest yet.

He spied a crowd marching through the gates of his farm with Cliff at the head. He laughed. Cliff was followed by Ann, Gray, Karen, Mary, Zack, Rick, and Kai. All of them were dressed in clothes that had seen better days.

"What's this?" He asked, "Come to run me off?"

"We got some help for the last Summer Harvest." Cliff replied.

"This is assuming you pay us, though." Gray said.

Cliff winced. "I, er, kinda told them you would."

"What?" Jack yelled. "You think I'm that stupid? That you can just walk all over me and do what you like?"

Cliff shrugged. "Pretty much."

Jack shrugged as well, "Well, let's get to work, then." The laugh was the start to a rather busy day, but one Jack was glad to have so much help for. He gave his workers a sack and let them go at it while Zack remained at the head of the field, putting the crops straight into his crates so he could ship them out the next day.

It was more like play rather than work. They split into teams and got a buddy systems going. Cliff and Ann, Gray and Kai, Jack and Karen, Mary and Rick. Popuri wanted to came, according to Rick, but was at home helping her mother cook. The rest of the village was preparing for the big Friday Night end of summer gatherings being thrown. It was to be a rather special occasion, especially since it was on the Friday nights where the separates sexes had their separate celebrations.

They took their two-person teams and had one person picking and throwing to the second person, who bagged the fruit in their sack. After a while, talking became helpless, as it threw their rhythm off, so they concocted a song to sing while they worked. For nearly four hours, the youths went up and down the aisles, chanting.

"_Taters an' corn an' turnips, oh my"_

"_Picked by the dozens to sell them by"_

"_When the sun goes down it's distant brink"_

"_Off to the bar...it's time for a drink!"_

and

"_It's a Harvest Moon, but it's okay"_

"_We'll drink all night and work all day."_

"_Through rain an' snow an' all that strife"_

"_I'll go home now an' SELL MY WIFE!"_

The work went by so fast, that by the time they got it all plucked and packaged and down onto Zack's boat, it was just in time for lunch so they stayed at Kai's and made good use of his grill to cook up some BBQ.

"I'm tellin' ya'll, tonight is gonna be a blast at the Inn!" Ann said, "I gotta help dad get the ale barrels out cause the guy's are gonna drink and sing and pass out and puke all over the front yard. Dad's even pulling out the BEER for this occasion. We only get beer for the REALLY special occasions." She elbowed Karen in the side, "What're you ladies gonna do, eh?"

"Same as we always do." Karen said. "Same old, same old. It's a shame, too. All the ladies keep asking when we'll have beer in."

Kai and Jack eyed one another, thoughts being swapped with but a look. Jack jumped up and ran off, leaving the rest of them to their own. He ran from one member of the male community and pulled them aside, "Listen, I got a plan and I wanna know if you're in." He told them of his plan and watched a large smile cross the face of each man he asked. Pastor Carter himself, who enjoyed an occasional mug, agreed to it after Jack promised him something.

Zack set off from the dock with the promise that he'd be back by dusk with the supplies for the night. Jack and the others promised to be right there to help unload the beer barrels that were coming. Jack wasn't adverse to an occasional night of fun with his fellows. It was when one started abusing it that he felt the line was crossed.

He went home and rested up from the day's events, noting to set his alarm clock for dusk. Jack dreamed of nothing, glad for the chance to sleep without any disturbing images floating before him.

When the alarm went off, he was up and about, running across town just in time to catch the boat returning. When the ramp was set down, he noted there was an extra person getting off. A tall fellow wearing a loud button down Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts. He wore a great pack across his back, as if he had been traveling a long way. He had a peculiar, yet familiar look about the way he frowned thoughtfully at Jack, staring at him through thin-rimmed spectacles. Yet, he said not a word as he got out of the boat and broke into a run towards town.

XxXxXxX

Popuri sat perfectly still as her mother brushed down on her hair, getting the tangles out of it. "Popuri, I swear I don't know what to do with your hair. It's just like mine, always tangling and never wearing straight."

"Karen says she has an ironing straightener that makes your hair straight." Popuri said.

"Well, the next time you see her, ask if you can borrow it. I don't have the strength to wear down these tangles of yours." Lillia sighed, wiping her brow. "Rick! Are you going to the Inn tonight?"

"Yes, ma'am." He called from his room upstairs.

Lillia finished brushing Popuri's hair and then sat down herself as her daughter took the brush to her mother's hair then. "Oh mama, I always love the end of summer. The Fireworks are going to appear tonight and I just know I'll be sitting with Jack when they go off—just like you and daddy when you were younger."

Lillia didn't answer, but her eyes glistened at the thought of her husband.

"Mama, there's nothing that could make tonight any more perfect than it's going to be." She finished that sentence, the door to their home opened and the man from the boat stuck his head in. Popuri and Lillia looked over at him, their faces blank until the man smiled at them. "Hey, girls."

Popuri dropped the brush and screamed at the top of her lungs, "DADDY! DADDYDADDYDADDY!" She leapt across the house and into her father's arms, who spun her around, laughing, crying, holding her like there was no tomorrow.

"Richard!" Lillia sobbed, moving onto her feet as fast as her illness allowed her, "Richard, you came back to us."

Richard let Popuri down and went over to his wife, sweeping his arms around her and cradling her gently, as if she might break by his very touch. He cupped her face in his hands and soundly kissed her, reveling in his wife's touch.

Rick came bounding down the stairs. "What's all this ruckus down here-?" His question died in his throat as he caught sight of his father. "DAD!" Rick jumped the last three steps of the stairwell and dashed into his father's arms, Popuri not a moment or two behind him.

The family stayed there for long minutes, keeping their joy cast\ in tears, weeping in pure happiness.

At long last, they were a family again.

XxXxXxX

Jack knocked on the door just after dusk and waited for a long while before Popuri came to the door. "Hey, Poe." He said.

"Jack!" Popuri cried out as if she hadn't seen him in years and threw her arms around his neck.

Jack laughed, "Finally, someone who truly appreciates me. Who else throttles my neck when they see me?"

She playfully smacked his chest. "You big silly. Come inside, daddy's home! You gotta meet daddy!"

Daddy? This was a surprise. Jack stepped inside to see the entire family seated around the kitchen table, eyes red from tears and smiles on every face. Jack recognized the man at once. Popuri tugged at his arm, trying to pull it off in the attempt to get Jack from the door to her beloved father. Compared to his size and her relative lack of strength, it was like watching an over-excited puppy tugging at a leash as hard as it could.

Popuri held her hands to her father as if she were gesturing towards the world's largest pile of gold. "This is daddy."

"Is that your name or do you happen to go by something else?' Jack asked, reaching across from the table to shake his hand.

The man smiled gently, "Richard. You're a new face."

"Daddy, Jack is old man Jack's grandson. He's running the Valen—er, I mean it's the Old Time Farm now."

Richard looked at him again and whistled. "Spitting image, I swear. If you were ten years older, you'd look just like your grandfather when he was young."

"Thanks, it's nice to know he was a really loved fellow. But I digress, I'm not here for fond remembrances. I wanted to ask Rick about tonight, but I can see none of you will be going anywhere."

"Well, that's not true." Richard said with a 'fine as you do' twinkle in his eye. "Tonight's Friday, isn't it?"

"And the end of summer." Jack replied. "Ahem, but this bit of information is for members of the male persuasion only."

Richard nodded. "Ah, I see. Come on, Rick. Let's go see what Jack wants to tell us." Rick looked dubious but followed his father and Jack outside the door. Once there, he shut the door behind him and turned to Richard and Rick. "Alright, this is what I wanna do tonight."

He told them and a great grin broke on each their faces.

"I haven't had a celebration like that in a loooong time." Richard said. "I say we do it." Rick opened his mouth and aimed his finger, ready to tell his father he didn't think it was a good idea, but Richard marched past him and opened the door, going inside.

"Honey, Popuri." He said sweetly, "I haven't had a rest in over a year. Think it'd be alright if I go to the Inn tonight?"

Lillia put a look on her face that seemed more like she'd smelled a fart in church. "But honey, you just got back. Can't it wait for another time?"

"Awww, I'm gonna be here all day for the next week. I just wanna loosen up tonight and tomorrow I promise we'll all stay together. Besides, I'm sure your dying to let all the ladies know that I'm back, right?"

Lillia smiled softly, but still seemed upset. Popuri wore the same look, even to the point of looking like she'd lost her most loved puppy. Both nodded and Richard beamed, "Wonderful!" He gave them each a hug. "I'll see you both tonight."

With that, Richard left the house with Rick and Jack.

XxXxXxX

Lillia and Popuri arrived at the ladies meeting in the Library and they were the last ones, though that didn't matter. Once they arrived, all the talk was of Richard's return and how excited everyone was to hear he was back. Inevitably, the talk became the usual gossip about the village and it's workings. Karen sat back, bored. She was beginning to detest the ladies' night.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Ann rushed in with a panicked look on her face. "WE NEED HELP!" She cried, "EVERYBODY'S LOST THEIR MINDS! COME ON, ALL OF YOU!"

Hesitantly, the ladies looked at her with a mix of dread and concern. Ann ran back through the door and the returned a moment later. "I SAID MOVE IT, LADIES!"

Her words spurred them all into movement and they leapt out of their chairs and followed Ann down the avenues until they reached the Inn and burst through the doors, piling inside to see what all the commotion was about, little May bringing up the rear.

What they got was a rousing cheer.

The men—everyone from Pastor Carter to old man Barley—stood inside the Inn with a mug of beer in their hands. When they saw the ladies, they raised their mugs and cheered aloud.

"W-what is this?" Manna asked.

"This," Jack answered, sweeping his hand about the bar. "Is Friday Night. Welcome, ladies. We feel so bad that all of you had to sit around and have no fun that we're inviting you all in to share in some good old fashioned fun and revelry. That is, unless you ladies don't like fun and revelry." Jack held a mug out to them, the ladies all peering down into it.

"Is that...Beer?" Sasah asked, amazed.

"One hundred percent. Making ugly women look lovely for hundreds of years. The solution to—and cause of—all of life's little problems. Come on, ladies. We're here for you tonight. We're gonna sing for you, cook for you, entertain you, and romance you as best a bunch of drunks can. Wadda ya say?"

Sasha, the most ladylike of all the ladies in Flowerbud, took his mug and lifted it into the air. "I'll drink to that!"

With another rousing cheer what became known as the End of Summer Celebration began and mugs of beer were passed around to all—although Maria had to slap one out of Stu's hands when he tried getting into it. The language was toned down, the crude remarks were held off, and the tone of the night was set for fun and fun alone as the whole village celebrated the Summer's End.

Doug and Kai poured out plate after plate of free food—at least everyone thought it was free food. Little did they know that Jack was footing the bill, a rather extensive bill at that. But they didn't need to know that. In Jack's eyes, it was money well spent. Lillia and Popuri came in moments later and were more than happy to sit with Richard as a family and join in the celebration.

The night was filled from one moment to the next with surprises. Ann and Jack had a re-match of their arm-wrestling competition and Jack wound up on the floor again. It wasn't his fault. He didn't know Ann could arm-wrestle a cow and win.

Gray brought his guitar and got on the bar and started leading the Inn in some rousing old songs. "I've got a few good ones I can play." He said with a smile, "Here's an old love song called _'I can't get over you, till you get out from under him'_" After the laughs from that one died down, he strummed his guitar to life and led them in a few tavern songs he had known, but eventually picked up some the village regulars didn't know.

Jack, Zack, Kai, and Cliff helped lead them in a repeat of Tody Keith's '_I Love This Bar'_, repeating the chorus where it was needed. After that, Jack helped sing a bit of Alan Jackson's _'It's Five O'Clock Somewhere_' and after that it was an acoustic version of '_Margarita-Ville' _by Jimmy Buffet.

The beer was the best that had seen the inside of the Redwood Inn in a long time. While no one there was anywhere near the level of being a chronic drunk and the more notable people who weren't drinkers themselves—The Doctor, Pastor Carter, and Jack especially—hardly touched the only mug they had all night.

Ann, on the other hand, downed mug after mug and finished them off with a satisfying 'AAAH!'

Gray started strumming a healthy little beat and the couples hit the dance floor. Porpuri was dragged to the middle of the wooden floor by her father, who wouldn't take no for an answer and because Lillia couldn't dance with him.

Karen came up to Jack and grabbed his arm. "Come on, Jack.", breathing her beer breath on him.

Jack shook his head. "No thanks. Friends don't let friends line dance."

Karen leaned closer, her lips brushing close to his. "You're no fun."

"And YOU can't hold your liquor well."

"Bah!" She scoffed. "I swear to drunk I'm not God!" But she left him alone for a little while to dance with Kai, who was more than happy to twirl her around the floor. Cliff came up to him, laughing. "This sure is one fine shindig, ain't it?"

As the night wore on, the men and the ladies celebrated in fine order, finding middle ground on which both sides could be happy and not compromise their principles. That is, it was going fine until a well hammered Duke thought it'd be a good idea to belt out a few verses of 'Sell My Wife'

As soon as he finished, there was an uncomfortable silence in the Inn as the ladies narrowed their eyes at him and the men shrank into themselves, embarrassed for Duke and how easily he had ruined the night.

Just as calm as she could, Sasha turned to Manna and Anna. "Ladies, shall we?"

The two nodded and started singing,

"_Sell my man, that useless old drunk!"_

"_He's loud, crude, and smells like a skunk!"_

"_His time's a-comin' and he'll cry a-plenty!"_

"_When he's forty years old, I sell him for two twenties!"_

then followed through, now all the ladies and girls singing,

"_Sell that man, he's got to go!"_

"_He's got no looks, no money, oh-no!"_

"_When he's asleep, we'll bash him in the head,"_

"_And take his cash and leave him for dead."_

Finally, the men could stand it no more. Duke stood up and raised his mug in defiance.

"_Sell my wife, she looks like a cow,"_

"_I'd rather have ten mugs of beer, for right now"_

"_When she's gone, I won't miss 'er."_

"_Didn't need her before, cause I couldn't kiss 'er."_

_The ladies came back with,_

"_Sell my man, take him away,"_

"_Off to the big city, with my mother I'll stay,"_

"_I'll meet another, one with more money."_

"_And when he's dead, I'll think it's just funny."_

So it went, with the men and women battling back and forth until after an hour of laughter so hard they were actually crying in hysterics, the ladies finally stumbled and didn't have any more verses left to sing. Duke tried to belt out another verse, but when he thought of it, he couldn't remember any more verses either. It was declared a draw.

When the peak of the night drew close, the families started leaning towards the door. Richard, Popuri, and Lillia all left for the beach to watch the fireworks. Cliff was lying flush on the bar, asleep. Ann was asleep as well, her stomach bulging as she lay under a beer flagon with her mouth wide open and snoring directly under the spigot.

Most everyone was gone, but those left were more than alittle on the drunk side. Mary stood up and squeaked as she nearly fell. "Oh my! I think I need to get home." She hiccupped.

"I'll walk you home." Rick said, his eyes weary. He got up and walked a little better than she did. He put his arm around her and the two left.

Jack looked over to Karen, who stared at him with eyes no longer doused by beer. She had sobered a little and ate some bread to kill some of the wooziness. "Care to take a walk to the beach?" She asked.

"Why?" He asked.

She grabbed his hand. "You'll see."

Karen took him down the square and into the patch of woods overlooking the beach, where there was no one looking. She stared up into the sky and then to her watch. "Just in time." She turned to Jack, still holding his hand. "Jack, listen. All summer long I've kept thinking about that one night in the water. Remember?"

Jack nodded. "Oh do I."

She leaned up to him and whispered. "I want to do that again."

Jack raised his eyes and Karen removed her vest as quick as you please. This time, something was different. She didn't seem bashful about the situation and removed her shirt in plain sight of him. Jack pulled his own shirt off and Karen stepped towards him, her hand reaching out to caresses his muscled chest.

Jack's thick arms snaked out and he pulled her forward and into a passionate kiss that was all the more potent as Karen returned the kiss with him. His hands snaked behind her and quickly unsnapped her bra. Karen backed out of his arms and slid them off, turning as she did. She was enticing him and he knew it.

Jack liked it.

Karen stepped towards the water. At the end of the beach, the ground took a turn to the south-east and, when he spied the patch of small beach she was entering the water at, he realized they would be hidden from anyone else on the beach. Karen reached the water and slid her shoes and socks off, then slowly pulled her panties down. Jack felt his heart rate shoot through the roof when he saw the shapely naked curves Karen was now so boldly showing him. She must have been working her nerve up to do this with him when she had the chance.

Jack wasted no time in putting himself into a state of nakedness. He walked before her, noting how she was no longer averting her eyes, but drinking him in entirely. She stood in the water at waist-depth, her pert breasts fully exposed for him. She watched him gaze up and down her lovingly. She had him entirely in her grasp.

Jack waded in and pulled close to her, taking her head in his hand and tilting it up as they looked lovingly into one another's eyes. An explosion of red light filled the sky along with a resounding 'BOOM' a moment later. The Firework's exploded in the sky, thundering and whistling as they did.

Jack and Karen leaned into another long, passionate kiss that enveloped both of them. Karen sank further into Jack's arms, enraptured by his tough, her entire body on fire from simply being near him. She wanted nothing more than him, than to be with him, but that thought scared her. She did indeed think of her mother's words about choosing her body or her heart. But what if she could just have both? Her body and her heart—she willingly gave them both to Jack and he took them willingly.

She felt the insistent pull of their bodies, but she resisted. Jack felt her resistance and noted it. Badly as his body wanted it, he stopped himself. If she wasn't ready, he wouldn't pressure her. Still, that part of his mind—Ace—screamed at him to take the opportunity.

Jack refused.

Still, they were there with one another, their hands roaming and groping, kisses moving from mouths to necks and shoulders and chests. Long after the fireworks had ended, Jack and Karen were still with one another in the water just at the edge. For the longest time, Karen would dream of her and Jack together.

XxXxXxX

Days and nights melded together for Jim Black. Summer was over and all his leads had led to the same dead ends. He marched through a stack of paperwork, looking through to see if he had missed something. He had compiled the paperwork at the start of his search, but hadn't thoroughly gone through it yet.

He stopped on one particular page. It was the obituary for his grandfather. Survived by his only son and daughter-in-law and Jack, having run a farm in the southern US.

Jim Black stopped when he read that. He turned the page to a copy of the grandfather's last will and testament. He had given the farm to Jack. Black copied the address down and rubbed his eyes wearily. He'd get a train down to the south tomorrow and take a look at this farm. For now, he needed sleep.


	21. Echoes of Mineral Town

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: "ECHOES OF MINERAL TOWN"**

To say you could have set the seasons by how they passed in Flowerbud was an understatement. No sooner did Jack get up on the first day of Fall than there was a cool air on the breeze, the leaves taking a tiny golden hue and occasionally falling off into the breeze. The grass was a little less greener than it was in Summer, the air was crisper in the morning and went down the nostrils cold, and noises were easier to hear.

Jack inhaled deeply and leaned out of his home, looking about at the arrival of Fall. No more lazy Summer days. It'd be Spring before he could fall asleep by the creek with a fishing rod between his toes. Today, it was a little bit of rest recovering from the night before.

And oh my, what a night it had been. He realized that the memories of himself and Karen were not that long ago, yet they seemed distant, as if from a dream. The beautiful girl was so enraptured by him, the look in her eyes, the way her arms had reached for him. He felt a stirring, but not in his stomach. Just a little farther south. He attributed it to the lack of female companionship for the last eight months since his "disappearance"

There was one thing Jack soon came to learn about Flowerbud and that was that in fall, the cool breeze was a constant. It rolled down from Mother's Hill onto his farm and always seemed to carry the distant breath of winter on it. Even now, the day after Summer's end, he was chilly enough to want a flannel shirt instead of his Tees or going shirtless. Yes, going shirtless in the cold while hacking away at a tree stump. That was a recipe for the flu if he'd ever heard of one.

In truth, he didn't feel all that well that morning. Something was nagging at his stomach and it wasn't the four sips of beer he'd nursed last night. Something a little off, for sure, but nothing to worry about.

He set out about his work for the day. Cliff wasn't there at dawn. Easy to understand when he had passed out drunk the night before on the Inn's bar. Jack only had some sprucing up to do. He cleared away the standing hay in the barn and knocked the dust off some of the stalls, getting it ready for it's new occupants. He meant to fix up the barn for some live animals and make this shabby little farm into a real farm. He had spent so much time doing crops that he simply didn't have the reserves for anyone else besides Sam, his trusted chicken who ruled the coop with an iron beak.

Although he'd have no use for it for long, he planned to turn half his field into a grazing land for his livestock. Planning was something Jack was used to, something he had always done in the business. There was an old saying 'Those who fail to plan, plan to fail' and it was true. He'd seen careers gone down path's they had never recovered from because of poor planning or a lack of planning.

Even though the farm was a purely recreational endeavor for him, Jack had never failed at anything in his life. His life had been a ceaseless torrent of running for one goal or another. He simply couldn't be stuck with nothing to do, he had to have SOMEthing to work towards. His time off was merely something to do in between the moments he wasn't working towards a distant goal.

When he was ten, it was working on the perfect go-cart for the annual go-cart races. He fine-tuned his machine time and again until the year he finally won first place and then realized he had nothing left. Then it was the high-school wrestling team, which he strove for perfection and the state title. When he won the state title, he drove himself to the brink of madness trying to get the national high school championship. When he won that, he was preparing to psych himself for the international championship and, yes, the Olympics. He wouldn't have stopped until he was the best there was, but a trip to a pro wrestling match had changed his mind. He was going to be the best professional wrestler in the world.

He succeeded.

Now, though, he couldn't rule the farming world with an iron fist, though he had no doubts he could churn out the world's biggest agricultural company from dirt scratch if he set his mind to it. No, since his arrival he set small goals—baby steps, in essence. Fix the leak in the barn roof, grow crops, that sort of thing.

A bigger picture was coming to him. He imagined half his field for grazing and half for crops. But there was a little work to do first. He cleaned out the barn until close to lunch, when Cliff came ambling in with a surprising spring in his step. Jack narrowed his eyes.

"Well, well, here comes Mr. Lucky." He taunted Cliff, before the farm hand had a second to say anything. "At work last night with the ol' flesh hammer?"

Cliff cast him a confused look. "Pardon?"

"Don't give me that innocent look, you were busy last night and I don't mean busy with a late night school project. You sure are taking advantage of living next to Ann, aren't you?"

"Well, truth be told, Jack, not _everything_ Ann and I do together is your business. I mean, I'm not going to come in and dance around with pom-poms every time Ann and I are intimate. That's a thing between me and my girlfriend, frankly."

"Girlfriend? Oh, getting serious, are we?" Jack smiled. "Careful, Cliff, you don't wanna get wrangled too tightly around her finger, now do you?"

Cliff looked Jack straight in his eyes and said, "Yes. Quite frankly, nothing would make me happier. Jack, I don't think you understand. I LOVE Ann. And she loves me. She told me last night."

"Of course she said it, spanky. Girls always say it. You know how many times I've been told that. I don't even have to get them in bed, just give them a look or two and it melts their hearts."

"If by 'melting their hearts' you mean 'flashing your immortal popularity and lots of cash around' then I assume so." Cliff shook his head and tapped his fingers to his chest. "Jack, I don't think you understand what love really is. I love Ann, no matter what. Coming here has been the best thing that's ever happened to me because I met her. You've got your head stuck on nookie, but it's not like that."

"Sure it isn't." Jack turned back to his work, leaving Cliff a little miffed at having his opinion undermined. "It's always love until they're sniffing around your bank account. Then 'I love you' becomes 'Where's my ring?'. Next thing you know, they're trying to drop subtle hints like looking at wedding dress magazines in front of you or saying out loud how much they LOVE that ten thousand diamond ring at Tiffany's. Pretty soon, they start getting antsy because you haven't said the 'M' word around them. Then they start showing their TRUE side and THAT, my boy, is where the female gender starts turning south. Greedy, unwilling to give something a little time, unable to see past the selfish need to surround themselves with everything sparkling and shiny, having the best of everything. Then, all you are is a cash tree, raining leaves of green on their lives and so long as you provide that, they're willing to put up with you and anything you say. But when that green stops rolling in, they'll take that axe to you and bring you down hard, never caring where you land or how it affects you, just as long as THEY have the good end of the deal."

"Jack," Cliff sighed, "No offense, but you're full of shit."

Jack laughed. "I know. That's what girlfriend #3 used to tell me all the time when I said I loved her. I thought I did, too, but she just wanted that Mercedes so bad she couldn't wait around for a little thing called love to enter the picture. Every time I told her that, that's what'd she say." Jack stopped, then muttered to himself, "Last time I told anyone that."

He turned around to face Cliff, but caught his backside just disappearing around the edge of the barn and headed out. Jack shrugged. "I guess he couldn't handle the truth. Poor deluded soul."

The conversation with Cliff notwithstanding, nothing else about the day went about the same way. Jack marched down Farm Row, as he had come to call the small brick laden avenue that connected his home to the Poultry Farm and the Yodel Ranch.

He passed up the Poultry Farm, but didn't see anyone outside. Not surprising, given that the man of the house was back. Jack wondered if it was permanent. After all, Richard was traveling the world in search of a cure for his wife's illness, whatever it was. He thought she should seek help from a medical center, but the old wive's tale about Popuri's family leaving the village always reared its ugly head. According to Popuri, her mother steadfast refused to leave and there wasn't a doctor in the world that would make THIS house call.

He had Farm Row, then there was the main road that swept up north, then went all the way across the Village until it turned south. He called that one Mineral Road. The one in front of the Inn was Ann's Avenue. The dirt road that went up Mother's Hill was just the mountain path. Other than that, everything else was self-explanatory to him.

He passed them by and headed for the Yodel Ranch

XxXxXxX

Popuri had addled next to her father all day long. She wasn't much of a drinker, so she and her mother had shared a mug the night before. Still, it had left her woozy and guilty. Her mother wasn't supposed to drink at all, and when she tried to chastise her, her mother warded her off with 'I'm a grown woman, I can make that determination if I wish'.

She was as giddy as a schoolgirl on a first date being next to her father, caught up in the excitement of finally having him home after four long years. He enraptured them with stories of his travels, though he hadn't really been sightseeing when he'd seen the sights. If there was any talk of his true quest, it wasn't shown in front of her or Rick. Rick himself seemed sullen by their father's appearance, to say the least. He listened, but seemed uninterested.

"Was it really a mountain, daddy?" Popuri asked.

Richard chuckled. "Not so much a mountain as a big stone hill, but it was very impressive." Richard spoke of Stone Mountain, in Georgia, a place he had passed on his way to somewhere else. He started talking about the carving in the side when he noticed Rick seemed to be zoning out. "Rick, are you okay?"

Rick shook his head. "No, Dad, I'm not."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." He said, his eyes gazing off somewhere else. His father seemed dubious to his answer, not really believing it. "Come on, you can talk to us about it. We're your family."

Rick scoffed. "We are NOW. But for how long? How long, Dad? When are you leaving again?"

Richard sighed, a sad look on his face. Lillia set her eyes down and silent tears began to well up in her eyes. Popuri cast a look to her father. "Daddy, you're here to stay for good aren't you?"

XxXxXxX

Jack knocked at the door of the Yodel Ranch and waited. He heard rampant shrieking in the backyard, but that, he figured, was just May running amok. An elderly voice on the other side cried, "Open!"

Entering, Jack was assaulted by the musty smell of a house that an elderly person lived in. From behind a counter, old Barley, the proprietor of the Yodel Farm, looked back at him through thick glasses and smiled, scratching his old ragged beard. "Well, I was wondering when I'd see you around here, Jack.."

"No time to chit-chat today, Barley. I'm all business. I need a cow."

"Well, I can help you there." Barely leaned forward, whispering as if he were about to tell the secrets of the universe. "Just between you and me, I happen to sell cows."

Jack gasped, "NO! Then the rumors ARE true."

"HA!" Barley laughed. "Come on, let's take you out to the herd and let you pick one out. Now, you're not going to use Duke's method of payment, are you?"

"Only when I'm a detestable bore." Jack stepped towards the door with Barley when it suddenly flew open and little May ran headfirst into Jack's tree-trunk-like leg, not seeing where she was running. She fell on her little behind, but was up in a second. "Sorry." She said sheepishly.

Jack reached down and held his knee. "Oh sweet mother of mercy, I'm injured. Help, help, I need money to make it well."

May laughed. "You're funny."

"And YOU have pig-tails. Very rustic."

May frowned. "My hair isn't rusty! It's not even metal. Shows what you know!" She stuck her tongue out at him and ran off into the yard.

Jack laughed. "Yeah, what's wrong with me?"

"Forgive her, Jack." Barely said. "She hasn't got anyone her age besides Stu to play with and he's all the way across town. Right now, she's still too young to walk over there by herself and, well, you know how little boys and girls don't always get along."

"Dully noted." Jack said. They walked out towards the field. "I take it she's not yours?"

"My daughter, Joanna. May is her daughter." Barely sighed deeply. "This is all the saddest thing in the world. When my wife passed away, Joanna was so grief-stricken she ran away. I don't know why, but she'd been gone for five years when out of nowhere she shows up and May is with her. Well, that was all nice, but a few days into her stay, I wake up one morning and Joanna's gone and she left May behind."

"She sounds like a real bi—"

"Watch it there, young fella. Just because she made some mistakes doesn't mean I don't love her still. I keep hoping she'll come back one day, realize whatever mistake she made and be a mother to her. Truth be told, Jack, it breaks my heart, but what can I do? May's my granddaughter and I can only do so much with her. She needs more attention than I have."

Jack pursed his brow, thinking. They had reached the herd and Jack looked out at the cows he had. As near as he could tell, the cows all looked to be in perfect health. He spied a small one grazing off to the side. "She looks good."

"She was born last year, so she'll be coming into milk giving age about when spring hits."

"Perfect." Jack said. "I'll take her." He took out the money and handed it to Barley, who tucked it into his pocket. He spied something off to the side and frowned. "Stop moping, I say." He said aloud.

Jack cocked an eyebrow. "Who, me?"

"No, that colt." He pointed to a small light brown colt some thirty feet away. "Ever since he was born, he does nothing but mope around as if he has nothing going for him. The other colts prance around and run, but he just stands there. He's not happy, is what it is."

"How can you tell?"

"Oh, we old fools have a few tricks you young fellas won't learn through being told. I just know he's unhappy." Barley turned to Jack. "You know, Jack, you could do me a favor."

"What's that?"

"Why don't you take the colt? Give him a home. Your grandfather always had a horse on his farm. Said it made getting from one point to another much easier. Go on, I insist. No charge."

"No charge? Why that's the magic words!" Jack said gleefully. "Sure, I'll take that little thing." Jack pressed his fingers to his lips and whistled. The other animals perked their ears, but the small colt raised it's head and began walking towards him. Jack grinned. "How about that!"

"You should name him." Barely said. "Bad luck not to name a horse."

The colt came over and Jack put his hand before it, letting the horse smell him, get used to him. He slipped a hand to rub his neck. There was a sparkle of adventure in his eyes when he looked at Jack and bucked his head once, Jack could tell he was happy with the decision as well.

"I can't think of anything better than Bilbo Baggins." Jack said. "Mr. Baggins, welcome to the Old Time Farm family." The colt snorted.

Barley went to fetch some ropes to guide the cow—whom Jack later named Besse, because naming cows after Lord of the Ring's characters just seemed wrong to him—and Bilbo down Farm Row towards his farm. May came running over and like the playful scamp she was, asked Jack if she could ride Bilbo.

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Barely said.

Jack just picked her up and set her on the colt's back. He turned to Barely and winked, making sure the old follow knew he had his hand where he could easily catch her. It wasn't needed. Bilbo carried her as gently as he could all the way to his farm, where he let her down and she immediately turned into Frodo's plaything, the two of them running off to Jack's watering pond to throw rocks in or something.

Jack threw open the barn and brought Besse into the barn, letting her scope out her new surroundings. Jack let Bilbo run loose and the colt darted into the fields, throwing his head about in complete joy. Barley shook his head. "He was just waiting to come over here, that's what it was. Well, good luck, Jack. Let me know if you need any feed or anything like that, young fella."

"Roger, Barley. Say, you think May might like playing out here? I'm out in the fields most of the day. She could just come run amok and play with Frodo."

Barley laughed. "I think she'd love that. May!"

The little girl heard her name being called and ran up on her stubby little legs. "Yes, grandpa?"

Jack bent down on his legs. "May, how would you like to come over and play on my farm when you get bored?"

May's face broke out into a great big grin. "I'd love that."

Barley turned to Jack. "You sure you wouldn't mind?"

"I can feed her and watch over her. I'm here most of the day anyway, like I said." He patted May on the head. "Just as long as she only comes over when I'm here and stays within sight. She can even work for me, if she wants."

May scrunched her face. "Nuh-uh. I don't wanna do that. Can I stay the rest of the day, Grandpa?"

"Oh, not today, sweetie. You know it's my day to go to the Hot Springs. But you can come over tomorrow, if Mr. Jack says it's okay."

"Come on by." Jack said. May ran up and hugged his thick leg. "Thanks, Mr. Jack." Jack chuckled as Barely ran off, May bouncing up and down by his side, talking his ear off.

Jack went inside his home and prepared himself a late lunch. He had just pulled out the ingredients when a sound shrill, distant sound caught his attention—almost like a scream. He ran to his door and looked out across his fields. At the edge of his property, on the other side of the creek, was a streaking red-and-pink figure, running as fast as she could for the path leading up Mother's Hill. Popuri.

This seemed different than when her chicken had been killed. He could hear Pupori's rampant crying even from this distance. Much as he knew it wasn't his business, he shut the door and walked in the direction she had run. He strode past the Hot Springs, climbing his way up the side of Mother's Hill. He didn't see her in the meadow or just past the bridge. Nearly twenty minutes into his hike, he finally arrived at the top and heard the sounds of sobbing.

He turned a large stone and found Popuri on her knees, her face buried in her hands, chest heaving, terrible sobs wrenching themselves from her. He knelt down next to her, his hand going to her back. He had only seen this kind of distress a few times before, but he knew it was serious.

"Poe?"

She looked up at him, her eyes and cheeks as pink as her hair, bottom lip quivering uncontrollably. "Jack?" She threw her arm around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder, her tears returning anew. Jack felt sad for her, that such a beautiful girl should be so distraught. He reached around her and pulled her tightly to himself, hoping his presence would reassure her, give her strength.

A long time passed as Jack sat there with Popuri in his arms, crying, unable to form coherent words. He stroked her hair, whispering assuring words to her, though he didn't know what bothered her so.

At last, she backed away from him and looked into his eyes, "Whu-what's wrong with me, Jack?"

Jack furrowed his brow. "Poe, nothing's wrong with you. Why would you say something like that?"

"Daddy's leaving on Friday. Why won't he come home, Jack? I don't want daddy to leave again, I want him to come home." Her face scrunched again as her tears returned. Jack just hugged her close, unable to comprehend how she felt. His own father had never abandoned him. The closest he and his father had come to being on the outs with each other had been Jack's decision to be a pro wrestler. His father, a no nonsense ex-Seal, had seen the decision as mere lark, something that wouldn't ever take him anywhere. After owning the world ten times over, he had long since proven his father wrong and they had long since made their peace after several years of bitterness between them.

This was different. He gently tried to calm her, "Poe, just because he's leaving doesn't mean he doesn't love you. He only wants to help your mother. Don't you want your mother to be well again."

She sniffled. "Yes."

"If your father can find a cure, wouldn't that make you happy, to have your whole family healthy again?"

"Yes."

"That's true love, Poe. Your father loves you and Rick and your mother so much, that he's wiling to go to the ends of the earth to find a cure for her. Even I know that's real love, and I've never been in love bef—" He paused, realizing what he was saying. He couldn't contemplate the thought, as Popuri looked up at him. "Jack? You've never been in love before?"

Jack bit his lip and that voice taunted him again. He didn't need love before, did he? He shrugged. "Can't say I have, but what do I know? I'm just a...farmer."

Popuri looked at him, confused. That Jack had never been in love before ate away at her, as if the thought that one person couldn't fall in love was unthinkable. She shivered as a cool breeze caught her and she hugged her arms to herself. Jack noted this and looked up to see the sun dipping low, getting ready to descend into the horizon and the temperature was beginning to drop.

Jack helped her to her feet and began walking, his arm around her so that shed follow. "Come on, why don't you come over to my place for a little while. I'll start a fire and make us some early supper, okay?"

Popuri nodded and rested her head against Jack's upper arm as she walked.

XxXxXxX

Karen cut open the plastic wrapping on a crate of boxes and began stuffing them onto the counter. Her head was swimming a bit from the beer the night before, but the headache's at least had gone away. She didn't think she'd drunk so much.

The door to their home opened and her mother poked her head out. "Karen, could you come in here? Your father and I would like to speak with you."

Karen's heart jumped into her throat and she briefly contemplated running for the door. It was the hidden guilt of the night before that made her think the worst: that her mother had found out about her skinny-dipping with Jack and wanted to lecture her. She thought about bursting in with a lecture of her own about her privacy and not being a little girl anymore, but she decided to button her lip. No sense in pleading guilty to a crime they might not know about. Best to play it safe.

She went in and her mother and father were sitting at the dinner table with that 'We're going to lecture you' look on their faces. Even her father looked like he had something to say, and usually these kinds of lectures were strictly her mother's affairs with his presence being a mere formality.

She sat down, eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. "Yes?"

"Honey, we were concerned last night. You didn't come home until close to four in the morning." She held up her hand, as if anticipating what Karen wanted to say. "I already know you didn't stay with anyone and that the only other person who was out that late was Jack. I just want the truth: were you and Jack out last night?"

Karen suddenly felt a hot flash across her face, as little bits of a large puzzle flew together. "You were SPYING on me? Mom!"

"Honey—"

Karen leapt up. "Don't 'Honey' me! Everyone knows you get together and gossip with Manna and Anna every day. What did you do? Ask them to see where everyone was and then ask Manna to stay up, waiting to see what time Jack went home?"

"Then you know Jack was out late last night, if you know THAT." Sasha said evenly.

Karen ground her teeth together, embarrassed that she had hung herself so easily. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Okay. Fine. I was with Jack last night. We watched the fireworks festival together."

"The festival ended at one in the morning." Her father said. "What were you doing for three hours?"

Karen decided the tell the truth: "Swimming." Just not the WHOLE truth.

"You two were swimming for three hours?" Sasha asked, lifting an eyebrow in suspicion. "I hardly doubt that. Karen, I'm not saying you're not allowed to see boys, but I don't have a good feeling about Jack. I think he's trouble. Remember what we talked about?"

Jeff looked to Sasha. "What did you talk about?"

"Girl business, Jeff." Sasha said, dismissing his question effortlessly.

"Momma, I heard you, but I don't think you're giving Jack a fair chance." Karen protested.

"He's just like Duke." Jeff said. "Just like he is right now and was when he was younger. You don't want a guy like Duke, do you, sweetie? Imagine if Duke were your father."

Sasha turned a vicious glare on him. "Jeff!"

Jeff held up his hand. "It's okay, Sasha, she's old enough to know. You see, Karen, when your mother was younger, she and Duke used to..., well, used to be together like a couple."

Sasha stayed silent, looking elsewhere as her husband explained. "I was just an insignificant little nobody, the town wimp, really. It's just who I am. Duke was always big and arrogant and acted like he ran the show and, in a way, he did. He couldn't stand losing to anyone for any reason. I loved your mother and I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world and for years I used to buy her candy, flowers, write her love poems, do anything she asked me to do. It may sound silly to you, but back then there was nothing in the world that mattered to me more than your mother."

Karen listened, knowing much of this story, but from her mother's perspective from reading her diary. She had written nothing of her father that she knew of, for she had only read the early parts of it.

Sasha spoke, her voice breaking occasionally. "I was terrible to him, Karen. It wasn't a good day for Duke and I unless we had mocked your father or tripped him in the mud or thrown him into the river. I thought he was a pathetic little man, but when that awful day came..." She paused, silent tears slipping down her cheeks, "When Duke hit me and called me a foul name. He'd been drinking, of course, but your father ran to my defense and tried to hit Duke."

"Duke beat me like a bad step-child." Jeff said. "I never touched him."

"But I saw something then, Karen. Your father, unlike Duke, had stood up for me. Duke apologized the next day, of course, being the slime that he is. But it only took that one spark to ignite the flame that burns for your father. You see, I began to think about it more and whereas Duke always pawed at me, used me in any way that he wanted, I always swallowed my pride and did it because I thought I was lucky to have Duke—even when I caught him flirting with the other girls in town."

"I began to see your father in a new light. He wanted nothing from me than my mere presence. The more I asked around, the more it became apparent that his infatuation with me was more than a mere crush. His mother especially was helpful, telling me he never stopped talking about me. When he was gone into the woods one day, I snuck into his room and looked through his things. I had to know if he truly felt something for me or not. I found his journals and, oh my...I was humbled beyond words. And I found something under his bed, in a music box, that he had hidden away."

"I went to Duke and asked him if he loved me, if he wanted to spend all his dying days with me. Can you guess what he did? He just tried to charm his way around my question and made false promises of distant commitments that weren't worth the wine he said them with."

"But that night, when your father returned, I was waiting in his room, sitting on his bed and with that music box in my hands." Sasha stood up and walked into another room and returned with a red-and-gold music box that Karen had never seen before. Her mother opened it and a beautiful tune began playing. More than that, inside the box, lying in a long depression probably meant for jewelry, was a Blue Feather, still shining as clearly as the day it had been bought. Karen's eyes widened.

"I asked your father if this was what he really thought of me. If he really thought I was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Do you know what he told me?"

Karen looked, her gaze asking for her.

Sasha sniffled, her eyes reddened, her mouth opened and unable to find those distant words. Jeff spoke up, his hand reaching out to take hers. "I told her that if I could never have her, I'd rather live my life alone because there was no one who compared to her, in my mind. I didn't have Duke's charm, or wit, or money, or strength. The love I had was all I could give her and nothing more. She told me it was more than Duke could have given her in a lifetime."

"I made a decision that night, Karen." Sasha said, through her tears. "And I had a revelation. I realized that for years, your father was the only man who had ever loved me. Not Duke, he wanted me but for everything else but love. Your father worshipped the ground I walked on, would have died for me. Duke wouldn't have and once I knew that, I realized the mistake I was making. I chose what my heart told me, that your father truly loved me, over what my body wanted from Duke."

Karen looked down. "I guess Duke wasn't happy about that."

"He has resented me for that to this day, sweetie." Jeff said, "Why do you think he never pays his debts? In as much as he can, he's still trying to take what I have from me. Why do you think he also waited until he was well in his thirties before he married Manna when she was seventeen? There was no one else left who could have married her—except maybe Harris or Gotz, but he wasn't going to be outdone. He took her as a wife, but in face only. I can tell you, they aren't happy at all and Manna just tries to make up for it with a happy face."

Sasha closed the music box. "I love your father with all my heart, Karen. But now that I see the same thing happening to you, I want to spare you that kind of pain, the kind of guilt I have had to live with for so very long. To this day, I feel I can never make it up to your father the terrible things I did to him when we were young. If you and Jack try for this...I don't see a happy ending in it."

Karen suddenly pounded her fist on the table, her own eyes glimmering in angry tears. "So you think Jack is some kind of heartless bastard? That I can't even TRY to just make something work? That whatever I feel may be doomed from the start? Have you ever thought that maybe, in my case, I can have BOTH my body AND my heart's desire? I didn't want to feel this way about Jack! I wanted to LEAVE!" She cried the last bit of that, her tears full in force now. "I wanted to leave this stinking, boring town! But then Jack came and now that he's here, I just can't leave! I...I do love him! Jack's funny, he's carefree, he knows how I feel and think when we talk, and most of all, when I'm around him I don't feel like this stinking town is choking the life out of me! I don't think either of you is giving Jack a fair chance at anything!" Karen leapt out of her seat and stormed out through the door, leaving her parents behind.

She ran into the woods behind her house, far enough that she hoped they wouldn't come after her. She got into a small clearing and began to take her anger out on every fallen twig or lying stone.

XxXxXxX

Much at the same time, Jack and Popuri were sitting in his home, sharing a home-cooked meal of roast, gravy, rice, and mashed potatoes. Popuri gobbled it up as if she had never eaten such food in her life. Jack had to admit, he was a much better cook than he had once thought. Must have run in the family, but his grandmother's recipes had helped a good bit as well.

They talked for a long time, mostly Popuri telling stories of her father when he was home all the time. She asked Jack about his father.

Jack shrugged. "My old man? Tough guy, so I grew up learning how to take a man down with my shoelaces more than playing ball. He's big, broad-shouldered, tall, like I am."

"I don't remember hearing about him much from the other villagers. A lot of us didn't even know Old Jack even had a son. We knew he had a wife who passed away a long time ago."

"Yeah, according to dad, he didn't like living here. Said he left home when he was fifteen and made his own way in the world. I guess, for better or worse, my father just isn't a farmer."

"You are." Popuri said with a giggle, "You must have had your own farm before, because you seem to know what you're doing here."

"Oh, I think we can chalk that up to dumb luck, Poe." Jack rolled his eyes, "And Sparky helps out a good bit, too. I never set foot on a farm before—except once when I was five."

Popuri smiled, wiping her mouth. "Well, what did you do before you were a farmer?"

"I was..." Jack paused. "I'll tell you what, Poe. Would it be too much to ask if you never ask me that again?"

Popuri did that confused look she wore when she didn't understand something too well. He put a hand on her hip, tilted her head slightly, and closed one eye. "I don't see why not. Are you ashamed of your old life?"

Jack shook his head. "It's not that."

"Oh. Are you gay?"

"NO!" Jack cried, "Believe me, I'm not gay. Why would you think that?"

Popuri seemed dubious to his outburst. "It was just a question."

"No, I'm not ashamed of my old life, I just don't like talking about it. Trust me, you're not missing anything. You can live your life in peace not knowing what I did before I came here."

Poprui just shook her head in defiance. "Still be nice to know." She muttered. She looked aside and spied Jack's record player, the one that had been his grandfather's. "Do you know what we do at home when daddy's at home and we get done eating?"

Jack shrugged, "Is it incestuous?"

"No...I don't think so." She said, looking confused. "Is that a dance?"

"If you want to look at it like that, I'd say it is." Jack laughed. Her naivety was so funny sometimes.

Popuri stood and walked towards the record player. "You're silly, Jack. No, we always dance. Come on, I want to dance with you."

"Well, you're the only one, then. Poe, I don't dance." Some upbeat folk music began playing on the old record player and Popuri ran over and took Jack's arms. "Come on, Jack. Dance with me, it'll be fun."

"If having a two-hundred and thirty pound man smash your toes is fun, I don't want to be your friend anymore." He found himself rising, even though he didn't really want to. "I'm not into dancing. I suck, I really do."

But he was on his feet, Popuri holding his hands as she danced and smiled. "Come on, like this! Doesn't this look like fun?"

"It looks like a full body dry heave set to music, but I guess you like this kind of thing, don't you?" Jack did his best, but men his size aren't light on their feet, though he managed a reasonable dance by shuffling his feet, rather than lifting them. Popuri laughed as they danced, her face turning a bright pink as she did. Jack laughed with her, adoring the laugh she always gave when they were together. It seemed that there was nothing more she could ever want than what they were doing.

They danced from the beginning of the record to the end and Popuri grabbed another record to put on, eyeing the title of it and putting a small smile on that only she could see. "I don't know what this one is."

When it started playing, it was a slow, sensuous music. She stepped towards Jack, her ever obvious shying smile on. "I guess it's a slow song."

Jack was tempted to call her a sly little minx, but thought better of it and just accepted her as she stepped into his reach and put her hands on his waist and his put his arms over her shoulder. It was normally the other way, but with Jack being taller than her, this was easier. It didn't take long for the arms-length to close and soon he and Popuri were right next to each other, Popuri leaning her head to his chest, listening to his strong heart beat.

"I need to go home." She said, softly. "Mom and Dad'll be worried." But she stayed next to him for a long time, her skin prickling happily as she felt his strong hand caressed her head, his fingers running lovingly through her hair.

And they just danced, unto the night and long after the record player had stopped playing it's gentle music.

XxXxXxX

When Popuri walked into the house, she didn't see anyone at the table or in the house at all. She shut the door quietly and tip-toed her way silently up the stairs to her room—no small feat given how creaky her house was. But she knew how to tip-toe around the worst points and managed to make it into her room without mustering a noise that absolutely screamed, _**"GUESS WHO'S HOME!"**_

She shut her door and sighed wistfully, moving towards the small shrine she had erected at the corner of her large vanity mirror and makeup table, an heirloom that had been in her family for generations. There, on the mirror itself, was a picture of Jack, one that he had given to her after she had given him one. In her mother's crystal vase was the glass rose he had bought. There, also, was wreath of flowers she had worn around her head the day of the Harvest Festival, when she and Jack had first met, had their first date. She figured their picnic was the second and this dinner was third. (No sense in counting the second picnic, when she had practically kissed that gopher)

She smiled sweetly at him, remembering that first kiss fondly. She had hoped he would do it again, but she wasn't going to let that spoil her romantic evening with him. She laid on her bed and tried to sleep with her heart nearly bursting from her chest. After some time, she heard the door creek open and turned to see her father peeking in. "Daddy?"

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I'm awake." She said. Her father walked over and sat himself on her bed, sitting next to her. He spied her little Jack shrine and smiled. "You had me worried. You were gone a while."

"Oh, Daddy, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking." He sat up and hugged him, "I was okay, Jack was with me."

"Old Jack's grandson, eh? I take it you've got a soft spot for the lad?" If there was one thing that had never changed between her and her father, it was that he knew exactly what she was thinking. She just blushed. "Jack is a really sweet guy, daddy. He cooked me supper and afterwards we danced like we do here."

"You really like him, don't you? I can see this is serious." Richard said, turning his gaze to the smiling picture of Jack.

"He's the greatest guy in the world." She said without pause.

Richard rubbed his daughter's head and kissed her on the brow. "If you think he is, then I'm sure he must be. But don't you go getting married before I can be there for it, okay?"

"I won't, daddy. I promise." She said, sheepishly, wondering if it would go so far. "I'm gonna miss you when you're gone. Promise you'll write?"

"I will, if you promise to let me know how things are with you and Jack. He seems like a nice enough guy, but you know I don't think there's a guy in the world good enough for my little Popuri." He wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, you know."

"I love you too, Daddy. I'm gonna miss you."

"I promise we'll all be a family again...one day. I promise."


	22. The Fall Begins

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: "THE FALL BEGINS"**

The short days of Fall started off each morning with first a visit from Cliff, who was only too happy to come out and do his part. Together, he and Jack started hammering posts into the borders of his field. They usually sang songs to keep in sync with their pounding with the hammers. With Frodo and Bilbo running around, it took a bit of getting used to the fact that the animals wouldn't run off.

Still, Jack found after a while that his animals seemed to know where to go and where to not go. They never crossed the threshold of his land and never went over the creek. Pretty soon, he didn't even think about them.

Bilbo proved to be a strange attraction for him. He was fascinated by the colt and his endless energy. Bilbo was affectionate, sniffing him, nudging him with his head, giving him little 'love nips' on the leg with his teeth. Never biting him, just snapping lightly with his teeth. Jack would jump and run about and Bilbo would chase him. Frodo would join in and start yelping and biting at his ankles. Before long, Jack would just run away from them.

Things got a bit more interesting when May started coming over. Every day around eight or so, May would get up as always and waddle over and just run amok on his farm. In truth, it was kind of comforting, made the place feel a lot like a real home. He set up a rope swing in the barn, a tire swing on his tree, and she brought some balls and things to place with while over there. It might seem like she didn't have enough to do, but to her endless imagination, it was more than enough. She spent endless hours in the farm and playing.

He and Cliff would join her. It was nice to be able to just stop work and have a little fun. It never lasted long, an hour at the most and then back to work. The field was lined in a week's time, but Jack was dismayed to see that weeds were growing faster than he could spare the time to cut them. Things got a little better near the end of the project.

Elli came to see Jack on one of the Clinic's off days. This was a surprise, considering Elli hadn't swapped a lot of words with Jack since his arrival. Maybe a few friendly conversations, but nothing more. He stopped working, told Cliff to 'Keep working, Slick, this isn't a democracy', and approached her.

"Jack, I wonder if you might do something for me." Elli asked.

Jack shrugged, "Of course, I'm always willing to help a lovely lady in distress. You are in distress, right? Otherwise, you're out of luck."

Karen would have taken that joke and rolled with it. She would have clasped her hands and said, _"Oh good sir, I am in such dire need. Won't a brave kind sir such as yourself help me?"_

Elli didn't bother. She stared at him with a humorless expression and said, "Was that a joke?"

Jack sighed, shaking his head. "Apparently sarcasm hasn't hit your part of Flowerbud yet."

"Jack, I'm serious. If you're just going to clown around, I won't bother." From that day on, Jack privately thought of Elli as the Anti-Karen. Popuri would have just giggled and Mary would have rolled her eyes...Karen found a joke and used it, like Cliff and Jack. Elli just thought it was silly and didn't want any part of it.

The Anti-Karen.

"I'm just joking, Elli. What do you need?"

"I've heard you're letting May run around here, turning your farm into a playground."

"Well, right now it's not much good for anything else. How'd you hear that?" A shriek caught their attention and they both looked to see May running headfirst into a pile of hay, laughing hysterically.

Elli said, "Word gets around. May's quite taken with your farm. I wonder...if it's not too much trouble, would Stu be able to come over her during the day as well?"

"I suppose. As long as he doesn't destroy anything, I wouldn't mind the little hellraiser around."

That settled it quick. From that day on, May came first, then Stu about five minutes later and they tore the farm apart with their high-jinx. Jack and Cliff didn't have to stop to play with May...too often. Stu and May played well enough with each other and occasionally the two farmboys would get in on the fun. Jack didn't have to worry about the weeds too much when he gave Stu a sickle and let his natural young boy tendencies to the rest. Stu attacked the weeds with enthusiasm and Jack was sure at some point he heard the boy screaming something about an alien invasion and he was the only one who could stop the 'Weed monsters from Planet X'

May didn't care for weed hacking, so she spent her time helping Jack, which she genuinely wanted to do. She helped him feed his chicken Sam. And once he learned that, Jack decided to add some more to his family. He completed the set and went to Rick and bought Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, and Legolas. All new baby chicks and 'Cute as a button' as May put it. It was easy for her because all she had to do was scoop some feed in her hand and spread it around the chicken coop. And she got to pet little chickens. That was enough to make any little girl happy.

Jack got into a little habit of seeing Popuri in the afternoon near the fence line. They'd chat, he'd make her giggle, and go about their way. It was another thing hat made the farm feel more comfortable.

Karen's visits came in the evening, just before the sun went down and her store had just closed. Same deal, few jokes and then on her way. Weekends, Jack spent more time in town to visit them.

Nights, though, Mary did come visit. Her visits were at random, but he knew when she was coming. He had jinxed her. She always came over when Jack had a hankerin' for BLTs. And like clockwork, whenever it was suppertime and he was pulling the bacon out, she'd knock on the door, mind and stomach looking to be filled.

Jack and Mary's night time visits became a real highlight of Jack's days. Karen, beautiful though she was, and Popuri, fun as she was...they both simply weren't Mary, who had finally broken the shy ice around her and Jack and talked up a storm with him. Jack had to admit one night that he got as jabbery as a schoolgirl around Mary, wanting to talk about anything and everything, which usually consisted of books and more books.

They ended every one of their night's together with Mary snuggled into his chest as they read a book together, always ending with Mary sleeping into his chest and he'd have to wake her. She couldn't spend the night or else raise suspicion with her parents, but that didn't keep her from wanting to.

One particular night, Mary looked up at him from their joined book reading with an expectant look in her eyes. Jack looked down at her, reading every emotion on her face. She looked worried, for some reason. "Jack, I'm a little...conflicted these days. I've had a hard time trying to figure out...us. More specifically...trying to figure out _you_."

"How do you mean?"

"You seem to be like the typical small town guy, but there's this underlying layer I can't seem to see. I can see bits of it, but never enough to know what it is."

"Well, you're the analyst...you tell me."

"I think...whoever you were before you came here...is still locked inside you."

Jack paused for a minute, a dark look passing over his eyes. He tried to cover it up, but Mary saw it and frowned. "Who are you, Jack Harris?"

Jack looked down at her, a booming answer coming to answer her, "What makes you think I'm Jack?"

Mary jumped upon hearing his voice. "Jack?"

"Jack?" He said, "Heh, Jack's a chump. Ace is your man, if ya know what I mean?"

"Ace?" Mary furrowed her brow, wondering. This was more than odd coincidence. She took the bait and answered him, "Well, who are you then, Mr. Ace?'

As she suspected, the same kind of tone answered her, smiling all the while. "Most important man in the world, that's who. Feel honored?"

She smiled softly, "Maybe a little. What makes you so important, Ace?"

"As if you don't know? Face it, I know it was you who sent that letter. I know you know who sits behind these farmboy eyes. You've wanted Ace to come out ever since you laid those baby blues on us, haven't you?"

Mary looked away. "I'm not sure about that."

"Be sure about _this._" Jack turned her tiny head forcefully and took her in a deep kiss. Mary was caught off guard for a second, but only for a second and she returned the kiss, but rather weakly. She paid attention while he did so, noting subtleties. Jack's kiss, that first kiss, had been soft, gentle, warming. This one was rougher, more forceful, the kind of kiss a brute gave. This guy talking, this was definitely NOT the Jack she knew. Ace, or so he called himself, was an entirely different beast.

She pulled away, forcing a smile. "I think I need to go. It's getting late and I need to get home."

Jack's hand slid down her neck to the edge of her blouse, toying with it a little. "So soon? I thought you could stay a little longer. We could talk about stuff."

"Like what?"

"You know...stuff. Get to know each other better. Just...mess around." Jack's finger tugged down at the edge of her blouse and Mary's heart raced. She so desperately wanted what he was suggested, so desperately wanted the kind of physical interaction he was subtly suggesting. But that was her body speaking, the things her body wanted and her mind knew that this was a path down a dark road without a lamp. And she had the sneaking suspicion she was going to walk off a cliff if she did that.

One nagging voice at the edge of her mind yelled at her, _Just do it. Nobody would suspect a thing. They all just think you're that cute little librarian who doesn't do anything but read books and write things all day. Who would know? Who would care?_

But unlike the booming voice in Jack's head, Mary tore the voice down. _It's MY life, and MY body. I'll submit myself when and where I'm ready and not a moment sooner...and right now, I am __not__ ready_."

"Jack, I'm going home." She said in a tone that left little interpretation.

Jack just kept his wry smile on his face and lifted his hand. "Free country." He said, "But you'll come back, won't you?"

Mary got up and walked to the front door. "I'll come back when Jack is here." She closed the door and walked briskly home. That night, she had a lot to think about. This Ace was definitely something else. She knew who he was now, a part of Jack that wasn't dead yet. She grabbed the keys and walked into the library , searching long for a book she remembered. Finally she found it, a copy of _Psychology and Psychosis: a guide to mental illnesses_. She bookmarked chapter twelve and then locked the library, heading home.

Once inside, she set her book on the counter and reached into the fridge for some milk to help her sleep.

"Honey, you're back awfully late." The sudden voice of her father said. Mary jumped a tiny bit, but regained her composure. She poured herself a glass. "Sorry, Dad. I was book reading with Jack."

"You seem pretty close to Jack." He said with that fatherly instinct kicking in.

"We're reading buddies, nothing more."

"You mean, nothing more...right now." He said.

Mary giggled. Her father had that way of reading between the things she said. "Well, I won't go buying wedding dress yet, Dad. I'm just friends for now, but if something else comes along, I'll see how it goes."

Basil, clad only in his night clothes, smiled and reached out to rub her head affectionately. "My little girl's growin' up. So glad to see you getting along with some of the younger fellows. Reminds me of when I was growing up, hunting down flowers in the mountains while your mother would go for daily walks. I'd wave to her and she'd wave back. One day she brought a picnic basket with her and after that it was nothing but good tidings. I remember the exact moment I fell in love with your mother, do you know that?"

Mary shook her head. "Sounds romantic."

"Yeah, I suppose so...if you're into that mushy stuff." He mocked her playfully, knowing how much she loved romance novels. He looked down at her book. "What's this?" Before she could stop him, he opened the book mark and turned to chapter twelve. "Disassociative personalities? You know someone with this?"

"No." Mary said, "Just reading for fun."

"Okay. Well, I'll see you in the morning." Basil leaned down and kissed his daughter on the cheek and returned to his room. Mary waited until he was gone to finish her milk and return to her own room with her book. She had a lot of reading to do.

XxXxXxX

The next morning, Jack woke up and looked around. "Mary?" He got up from the couch and looked up and down, from one end of the house to the other. Mary was nowhere in sight.

And Jack couldn't remember a thing from the night before.

XxXxXxX

The next time he saw Mary, she didn't say anything, so he didn't ask. Best to just let the odd incident pass him by. Jack had other thing to worry about. Karen was getting closer to him, in more ways than one. Her visits were always ended with a stand on her tip-toes and a smooch on the cheek, to which he always grinned and promised more later.

Popuri's visits were much the same way sans the kisses. It took Jack a little while to figure out why she simply stared at him expectantly: she was old fashioned. And the old fashioned method was that the guy initiated romantic interludes. Simple enough to figure: she wanted Jack to kiss her, not the other way around. So the next time she and Jack had a conversation, he said he had to get home and leaned down to peck her on the cheek. She blushed something fierce and stood at the fence line, holding her own hands and watching Jack depart.

It was like being Ace Valentine all over again.

XxXxXxX

Jack and Cliff were working in the field one day and unlike other days, they weren't talking girls or crops, they were talking about the old life—the business.

"It was like my whole life came down to nothing." Cliff said as he swung at a stump with Jack. "I worked and worked and worked and never got any payoff for it. I just kept getting the same old jobber spots. It sucked."

Jack sighed, but in a rather annoyed way. "Well, maybe you should have just tried harder, I don't know."

"Oh come on, Jack. I think the promoter's were holding me down. I mean I was good enough."

"Not from what I saw." Jack snorted.

Cliff paused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jack put his axe down, leaning on the handle. "I saw that last match you had. Were you even trying?"

"Well, I was in a real downer mood, ya know? I just didn't feel like trying."

"Hmph," Jack snorted, "Maybe _that's_ why you never made it anywhere, kid. You gave up."

"Hey, I tried hard enough." Cliff said defensively. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

"More like you didn't try hard enough." Jack muttered.

Cliff stopped and stared at Jack. "You mind telling me just what it is you're thinking?"

Jack slung his axe into the stump, sticking it there. He turned to Cliff and approached him. "Look, from what I've seen you've got a lot of problems working against you, slick. You're whiny, you have an attitude, you think the pro wrestling world should come to you on a silver platter, and from what I saw, you didn't have much talent to speak of."

Cliff was taken back. "Jack...man, that hurts."

Jack jabbed his finger into Cliff's chest. "Well, the truth hurts. It's a _tough_ business. I jobbed too, ya know. It's not all about your skill or how big you are or all that horsedump. It's about dues and paying those dues. No one likes a little whiner like you. If you were in my federation, crying like you are now, I wouldn't push you either. No one likes a pussy, you pussy."

Cliff took a step back from Jack, "Well...people were getting tired of you too, ya know. Everybody wanted a change."

"HA!" Jack laughed, grinned, "And 'HA' again. You know as well as I do that I was hitting my prime. There was no downhill for me. You're just trying to get back at me for telling the truth and the truth is: you suck."

Cliff sighed, looking down and away. He didn't know what to say to that. He just started walking away. "I'm going home, Jack."

"You do that, sparky." Jack snapped. "Next time, think twice before you turn into a woman. I can't hear it when girls cry!"

Cliff left and didn't come back the next day, or the next, or the one after that. Jack beginning to think he had hurt Cliff's feelings more than he had intended. The tone he spoke to Cliff in hadn't been entirely joking, though. Cliff whined, in his opinion. If there was one thing Jack couldn't stand it was a whining crybaby. He didn't stand for it then and he wouldn't stand for it now.

It wasn't until the Chicken Festival that he saw Cliff again, standing next to Ann with her arm through his, watching from the sides. Jack had brought Sam, now big enough to take on the Festival. He hadn't had a lot of practice with cockfighting, but he assumed he could wing it.

He was up in the first round again Rick's Retarded Rooster. The stupid thing was crowing even at the festival. He must have thought it was dawn. Rick placed his rooster up on the podium as Jack tossed Samwise Gamgee into the fray. The two chickens stared one another down and then Rick's rooster flapped it's wings and crowed as hard as it could. Sam turned tail and ran out of the ring, across Rose Square, and into the woods behind the General Store. Jack had to chase him down in the woods and by the time he got back, Rick had won the contest lock, stock, and barrel.

Rick gave Jack a grin, "Better luck next year, Jack. Don't be a sore loser."

"I am _so_ going to pound you." Jack threatened. It was a threat Rick didn't take well. Popuri walked by and gave him her one-eyed look of wonder. "Not a very big cock, Jack. It's no wonder he lost."

"It's not the size of your chicken, it's..." Jack paused. "It's...the size of...er..."

Popuri waited.

Jack scratched his head. "Dammit. I...can't think of anything."

Popuri just laughed. "Well, no one's blaming you for being slow." She walked off, giggling all the harder.

Jack pouted, "I am _not_ slow."

"Just a little late on the snappy comment, is all." Cliff said, strolling up to him. "Odd thing for the best promo man in the business."

"Yeah, no shit." Jack said. "I guess I need an audience of twenty-thousand people to keep that particular gland working. By the way, have you quit or what? If you're going to quit, let me know so I can at least not expect you and move on to hiring someone else."

"Well, you sort of hurt my feelings. But I've been thinking about it for a few days and I think that in a way you were right. I mean, you didn't just rise to fame right away, you worked for it longer than I was jobbing for. So, I'm sorry for sounding like I did." He held out his hand.

"Of course, you are." Jack said, and he patted Cliff's shoulder. "I told you I was right."

If Cliff was expecting an apology, he was left without one. Jack didn't even concede that he might have been wrong in any way. Still, Cliff liked working at the farm, so he accepted it and went about his day.

Jack returned home to find his mailbox door open. He looked inside and drew out a blank envelope. Inside was another letter, bits of letters glued together to form a message:

_I haven't forgotten about you, Mr. Valentine. If you want to know who I am, come to the Church tomorrow at midnight. We'll talk._

Jack smacked the paper with the back of his hand. So whoever this was, they weren't just blowing smoke. They did know who he was and they wanted to meet him. Well, if it's a meeting they wanted, it'd be a meeting they get. He was going to have to meet this punk head on.

XxXxXxX

Jim Black stepped off the #47 train from Detroit and onto the train station floor. He yawned. "I need a drink."

Just a quick one and then the bus ride to Village Cote, where he'd have to take a rental car to Flowerbud River and catch the ferry to Flowerbud itself. He sneezed twice and groaned. Nothing like a trip through the back alley woods of the south to bring back his allergies. Curse the humidity...and the people. Dumb county bumpkins, all of them.

He headed for the bar. Only one way to kill his disdain for the south.


	23. My Dinner with Popuri

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: "My Dinner with Popuri"**

Jack opened the door to the church as silently as he could. One good thing about living in the country is that people still kept their doors unlocked. He closed the door and then looked at the foyer. There was no one here, though some candles were kept lit, so he could see just fine. The church was eerily silent. He was pretty sure the forces of Satan weren't going to hunt him down in the house of God, but it still was creeping him out.

He was supposed to meet someone, but who? Kai had left the day after the End of Summer festival. Cliff knew, but wouldn't go to these lengths. Someone in town knew who he was.

He passed the confessional booth. One door was open. He suddenly heard a soft '_Psst'_. He looked and went in, shutting the door behind him. He tried to look through the screen at the person on the other side, but saw no one.

"Glad you could make it, Jack." The voice said. Jack furrowed his brow. The voice was soft, yet strong. It had a strange tone to it and Jack couldn't tell if it was male or female.

"Who are you?"

"The question is, who are you?"

Jack tried listening, but the voice eluded his grasp. He couldn't recognize it. Who _was_ this?

"Listen, either I find out who you are or I'm leaving."

"You already know me, Jack. Just as I've know you. I've always known you. Ever since the beginning."

"So what do you want?" Jack asked. "You know who I am, right?"

"You're Jack Harris. To some, you're Ace Valentine."

"Well, what do you want?" Jack sighed in disgust. "An autograph? A lock of my hair? My underwear?"

"Your heart. The path your taking is leading you down a dark trail. I don't want you down there. It's not too late to turn around. Follow your heart, what you know is right. In two days time, you'll come to an impasse. Follow your heart, not your body. In time, good tidings will come. Follow your body and the consequences could be dire."

"You aren't making any sense." Jack said.

"Two days time, Jack. Follow your heart. I'll be watching."

"What are you doing, spying on me?"

No answer.

Jack got up and walked out of the confessional. Okay, so his little playmate didn't want to reveal themselves—whoever he or she might be. This was clever of them, no doubt. Able to disguise their voices, of course, but clever. He smiled. So it was a game, then? Alright, he'd bite for now. Besides, he could always find out later.

He heard the door to the back open and the light's of the church came on. Pastor Carter blinked wearily at Jack. "Jack? Is that you?"

Jack swallowed, realizing he'd been caught. "Er, yeah."

The Pastor approached. "What's wrong? Why are you in the church?"

Jack searched his brain, thinking as fast as he could, _"Think of a lie, think of a lie, think a lie."_

"I wanted to confess." Jack spurted.

Ben nodded. "Oh. About what?"

"_Think fast, Jack!"_

"I stepped on one of my chickens."

"_Think faster, dingbat! Why would you do that?"_

"It was an accident...sort of."

"_Too fast! Too fast!"_

"One of the little ones."

"_Stop thinking, moron!"_

"In my defense, I didn't like the chicken to begin with."

"_Bravo, Adolf! Way to go!" clap...clap...clap_

Ben scrunched his face in wonder. "I'm sure God forgives you, Jack. Now go home and step on chickens no more."

Jack nodded. "Thanks." He left as fast as he could.

XxXxXxX

The Doctor felt Jack's arm, watching him wince. "Yeah, that hurts, Doc." He said with a long sigh. The Doctor wrote in Jack's chart for a minute and shook his head. "Well, Jack , your assessment early in the year was quite right: you are accident prone."

Jack snorted in laughter. "Told ya."

"Fortunately, your arm isn't broken. It's hyper-extended and, no doubt, terribly sore. It'll be like this for a couple of weeks. I recommend not moving your arm, so I want you to keep it in a sling for a week. No hard work."

Jack snapped his fingers. "Oh darn. What am I gonna do now?"

Doc laughed a little. "Take it easy for a week or so. After that, you can move around, but keep your work load light or you might hurt it again. Odd injury you have. How did it happen?"

_XxXxXxX (Flashback)_

_May looked up at Jack at the top of the barn's loft, the rope swing in his hands. "How far you gonna swing, Mr. Jack?"_

_Jack laughed. "All the way to the moon!"_

_Jack jumped off, the rope snapped tight, slipped out of his hands, and he landed hard on his right arm. Jack groaned loudly. May came over to him cautiously, one finger in her mouth. "Mr. Jack, you okay?"_

"_I'll give you ten bucks if you never say this to anyone."_

_XxXxXxX (End flashback)_

Jack shrugged. "Just a mishap." He lifted his sore arm as the Doc placed his arm in a sling. Jack paid Elli up front and on his way out Barley and May came in. May waved. "Hi, Mr. Jack!" She turned to Barley. "Grampa, Mr. Jack gave me ten dollars this morning for not telling anyone he fell on the rope swing. An' I been good, Mr. Jack, I told no one!"

Jack heard snickering and turned to see Elli and the Doctor trying to hide smiles with their hands. He sighed, "May, you've got a lot to learn about being subtle."

May scrunched her face in wonder. "But I don't wanna be a turtle."

Jack left the Clinic and bumped into a familiar yellow clad figure outside. "Ah, Jack! Missed you!"

Jack laughed. "Won, where have you been? I haven't seen you since late Spring?"

"Life of a traveling salesmen, Jack." Won set a large black leather bag on the ground, like a mammoth-sized purse, and stretched. "Go all over the world, see sights, sell things. Ah, but I've got a dandy deal for you." He reached into his bag and pulled out a small bottle. "Energy giving Bodigizer. Keep you up for a week. Good for nights of passion. Only a hundred dollars."

"Well, find me a night of passion and I'll think about it."

Won put the Bodigizer up and pulled out an apple. "I have something else. This is the rare ADWH Apple. That stands for Amazingly Delicious Wonderouful Heavenly Apple. Only twenty dollars."

Jack laughed. "Get away from me, you snakeoil peddler. I don't have twenty bucks for an apple."

Won looked downtrodden, but returned the apple to his bag. "You don't have twenty dollars? What a poor man you are."

"If I need some snake oil or Spanish fly, I'll call you." Jack said, shaking his head as he walked off, laughing.

His walk home was interrupted by Ann emerging from the Inn just before he walked past it. She spied him and ran over to him. "Jack, I was just coming to find you. Listen, I just heard something pretty distressing."

"Don't tell me. Flowerbud is going to be a dry town? Well, that won't go over well with the drunks, but I'm not affected. You may have to find another way to swindle Cliff into staying at the Inn."

Ann scoffed and the cleared her throat and spat on the ground. "Don't patronize me, sodbuster. I'm a lady though and through." She said as she pulled her panties out of the crack of her behind.

Jack smiled, nodding. "Elegant _and_ charming, I see. No wonder Cliff gushes over you."

"Skip it, this isn't about me today. Besides, I can't stand all that mushy stuff Cliff feeds me. How am I supposed to be the woman of this relationship when he's spouting baby talk in my ear? When gets like that, it makes me cranky for hours."

"What's your excuse for the rest of the time?" Jack said with a smile. Ann held up her fist and his smile disappeared. "Okay, so what is it?"

"Well, you know how Popuri's dad left a few weeks ago, right? She's been really down about it ever since."

"I caught her just after she found that out." Jack said, "She wasn't happy about it. But I've talked to her plenty of times since then and she seems fine."

"That's because she's been talking to you." Ann said. "Jack, I don't know if you notice it or not, but Popuri is...well, I shouldn't be telling you this, but she's rather sweet on you, Jack. Of course, it's easy to see why, you know. You're a bit on the handsome side."

Jack nodded, "Yes, I _had_ noticed that. I _am_ devilishly handsome, am I not? My God, dare I say it? I'm _gorgeous_."

Ann laughed, "Shut up, you. Listen, she's been really down for a few weeks and she's so into you...I was wondering if you could do something to help cheer her up."

"I suppose I can do that." Jack said, nodding. Yes, now that he thought about it, there was nothing more he'd love to do. Because now he couldn't work and he had to do something that wasn't reading; he'd promised Mary he wouldn't read Terry Goodkind's 'Wizard's First Rule' unless she was with him, even though he was dying to try and finish that novel. He started it a year ago and hadn't finished it.

"Great." Ann clasped her hands together, rubbing them. "Now here's what I was thinking..."

Jack held his hand up. "Stop. Not that I don't appreciate the effort, but I can think of my own romantic plans. Besides, you don't have a mind with a flair for the romantic, if you know what I mean?"

Ann crossed her arms. "No, I don't."

Jack rubbed his chin again, "Okay, let me demonstrate what I mean. Close your eyes and relax your mind. Think of nothing. I'm going to tell you something and I want you to speak the very first thing that pops into your head. Okay? You relaxed? Because I'm going to ask you a girlish question. Stay relaxed and just say what come to mind first."

Ann nodded, her eyes closed, her face relaxed.

Jack spoke in a girlish tone, "Ann, there's a guy I like, but I don't think he likes me. What should I do?"

"Saddle up that camel and ride em' till he spits!" Ann replied without hesitation. Her eyes shot open. "I...er, I didn't really..."

Jack patted her on the shoulder, his point made. "I'll take care of Popuri. You just tell her to dress nice and meet me at the farm at seven. I'll take care of the rest."

Ann nodded and as Jack walked away, she heard him laughing under his breath. "Ride him tell he spits?" He snickered.

Ann just scoffed. "So I don't think like a lady. So sue me."

Jack laughed out loud. "Saddle that camel-!"

"SHUT UP!"

XxXxXxX

Popuri ran the brush through her hair for what felt like the thousandth time. Behind her, Ann waited, looking rather bored. "Your hair isn't going to get any straighter, Popuri. Just live with it."

"What could he possibly want me there for, Ann?" Popuri asked nervously. She wore her finest red dress, red being her favorite color, but unlike her normal dresses, this one was dress al the way through and it was narrow down the sides, not billowing out at the bottom like her normal dresses. She wore a pair of sparkling earrings with the dress and a necklace that shone sapphire. She wore only a light touch of blush and some red lipstick. "Do you think this is a date?"

"I don't know why you're getting so gussied up for." Ann said, crossing her arms. "Just do what I told you when you first told me you liked Jack."

"Ann, for the last time, I am _not_ going to saddle Jack and ride him till he spits."

Ann felt the corner of her mouth creep up in a barely contained smile. "Not yet, right?"

Popuri pouted, hitting her lap with her arms. "Stop talking about that with me. You know how uncomfortable it makes me. I don't want to think about that kind of thing in front of Jack."

"Well, sooner or later, that's where you'll end up. Trust me, if you want him wrapped around your little finger, you need to be on top for the first time." Ann grinned as Popuri yelled with her teeth clenched shut. She laughed. "Relax, Popuri. I'm just joking."

"Easy for you to talk about. You and Cliff have already done it."

"Yeah." Ann's eyes wandered. "Gives me ideas. I can't wait till I can get my dad out of the Inn for one night. No more screaming into my pillow."

"Ann..." Popuri turned to her, "Your first time...did it hurt?"

"Of course it did!" Ann said, "I lost my virginity in a bicycle accident. You think I _wanted_ to be violated by the handlebars?"

"Ann!"

"Okay, okay. With Cliff, it was just fine. He was real gentle and such, but I broke him out of that. I don't know, it might be different with you and Jack. Why, are you planning on seducing him?"

Popuri sighed. "He seems so oblivious to me. I'm beginning to think that's the only thing he wants. I don't want to...but for Jack, I'd do anything."

"Don't tell him that, or he'll start naming things you _don't_ want to do. You can practice first, of course." She jumped up from her seat. "I'll go get a cucumber. Practice stretching your jaw muscles."

Popuri looked at her in confusion. "Why?"

Ann stopped and blinked. "You know, I feel bad now. I feel like I'm corrupting you." She walked over to Popuri. "You're a really unique person, Popuri. And you're probably my best friend in the world besides Cliff."

Popuri crossed her arms. "I thought you and Cliff were just...you know, doing it."

Ann blushed and smiled, looking aside. "I can't deny that. But Cliff is a pretty special guy. I won't go thinking about houses or kids or anything, but...I like Cliff, a lot. I want you to have the love you keep talking about. Just ignore me, I'm a crude tomboy."

"I know. It's awful."

Ann cracked up at Popuri's jibe and threatened to muss her hair. Popuri pulled back, not wanting any part of her touched. "I don't know what Jack has planned, so don't ask me, Popuri. Just try and have fun tonight. I don't want you to ruin what you've got. You've got more strength than I did. A little charm and Cliff had me right quick. Don't do what I do, it's not you. Do what you know to be right thing. Follow your heart, kay?"

Popuri nodded. She looked to the clock on the wall. It was ten till seven. Time to leave. She got up and left her room, sneaking past the room where Rick was tending to her mother. She wished she could have told them she was off, but she didn't want to answer the questions her mother no doubt had for her: "Where are you going? Jack's house? Why? Why're you in such a good dress? What're you planning on doing?"

Ann followed her out through the door and parted with her when they reached the road. It was chilly that night, and the perpetual Fall winds coming down from Mother's Hill was cold and getting colder. Only the faint glow of the sun at the horizon gave any indicator that it was early in the evening.

Popuri reached the entrance to Jack's farm and stopped. She could see a dull light on in the window. She paused and lowered her head, clasping her hands under her chin. "God, I know I've never asked for anything for myself before. All I've ever asked for is for mama to be well and daddy to come back home. But I want to ask that if the feelings I have are true. I love Jack with all my heart. Please let him feel the same way for me. Let me love me back. That's all I could ever ask for."

She reached his door and took in a deep breath. She raised her hand to knock, but the door came open suddenly. She looked inside, seeing no one. "Jack?" Taking a step inside, she beheld the room. The kitchen counter, living room shelves, and dining room table was littered with small candles, all flickering and casting an orange glow to the house. She took another deep breath, this time smelling the aroma of a home-cooked meal.

The door shut behind her. She spun to see Jack standing there in a button down red shirt, black blazer, and black slacks. His hair was gelled and styled, whereas it normally was brushed in the morning and then tucked into a baseball cap. His right arm was put in a sling. She spied it. "Oh, Jack! What happened?"

"I had an accident this morning. It's fine, just sore as heck. Don't worry."

She looked around again. "Jack, what _is_ all this?"

"A little reminder that we're always thinking about you." Jack said, "So you know that even though your father isn't here for you, the rest of us are. That includes me. So for tonight, this is just for you. Only the finest." He smiled his best charming grin.

Popuri's eyes sparkled and her heart melted. "Oh Jack! You're so sweet." She leaned up and hugged his neck as best she could without pressing against his arm. They sat down and Jack brought out their meal, a finely cooked lasagna dish like he'd always eaten at the expensive Italian restaurants. That night, there was no one else but them. Jack dropped the sarcasm and sat opposite Popuri at the dinner table, a small vase of fresh roses between them.

They ate and talked, about nothing and anything. Jack played the soft music low on his record player and listened to her talk. Popuri looked to Jack, her eyes wide and filled with a wavering sparkled all night long. She was glad she was wearing blush, because her own cheeks were turning all shades of pink with every glance she shared with Jack.

Dinner was served with one of the finer bottles of Aja Wine Jack had swindled from Duke. He served it up and watched as Popuri drank three glasses before dinner was over. She must have not drunk a terrible amount of wine. She was close to slurring her speech when Jack finally decided that perhaps she had had enough wine and didn't refill her glass when she emptied it.

They talked for a little longer and then Popuri listened to the music, closing her eyes and swaying her head. "This music is lovely." She said in a dreamy tone. "Jack, will you dance with me?"

"Of course, my lady." Jack walked over to her and held out his hand. Popuri giggled and took it, letting jack whisk her away to an imaginary ballroom in the most lavish palace in the world, where it was just him and her and there was nothing wrong with the world. Jack took his arm out of the sling, able to use it enough to dance with Popuri.

As they danced, Jack felt his own heart swell up. Being here with Popuri felt so _right_, that nothing else penetrated his thoughts. She smiled softly, her hair twirling as she occasionally spun, gazing into his eyes in a way, frankly, none of his other girlfriends had ever looked at him with. If she had known who he was, he'd sworn she was simply start-struck. As it was, she only gazed at him lovingly, wanting only to be closer to him as the music got slower and slower with each song that passed. Jack wasn't even aware that he was out-dancing himself, his previous two left feet a forgotten memory.

The music that she would spin and twirl to soon ended and only the softest of melodies played. Popuri pressed close to Jack, her head snuggled into his chest, eyes closed and smiling. She wrapped her arms around his form, hugging tighter and tighter with every minute that passed.

At the last song, Jack heard her say in a soft, muffled voice. "Jack."

"Yeah?"

She lifted her head, looking at him. "I love you so much, Jack."

He smiled in response.

"Jack..." Her hand ran down his sides. "Take me."

His smile faded.

"Please...I want you. I want to...feel you."

Jack swallowed the hard lump in his throat, but couldn't do anything about the one in his pants. He looked down at her, her eyes swimming dreamily as she stared up at him. "Popuri...are you sure?"

"Yes." She said, whispering. "Kiss me, Jack. Please. Ever since Spring...that day in the meadow...I can't think of anything else. Kiss me, Jack. I'm yours."

Jack felt taken aback for a moment, but only for a moment and steeled himself again, seeing no reason not to answer her request. He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up as he leaned down and kissed Popuri better than he had ever kissed another girl before. She whimpered again, shocked by his very touch, and felt weak in her knees as Jack took her deeper into the depths of passion until they had at last reached the couch.

They sat down, and Jack laid her down. She reached out with a hand, caressing his face. "Please." She whispered. Jack nodded silently, his hand reaching for the edge of her dress.

XxXxXxX

The next morning, Jim Black's bus pulled into the small hotel and gas station in Village Cote. Tired, he walked into the lobby and called for the pig-tailed girl behind the counter. "Howdy, mister." She said, making him wince when he heard her accent.

"When the next bus to Mineral Town?" he asked.

"Well, there ain't no bus, see? If'in ya'll wanna git there, ya gotta catch the ferry. An yer in luck, the ferry pulls in tomorrow."

"How can I get on it?"

"Talk to the feller in room 2-20. He drives the truck to drop off supplies and picks up the produce from the farms in that there town. He'll let ya hitch a ride, if'in yer wantin' to go."

"I am. Thanks." Jim left the counter went to room 2-20, where the napping Asian fellow inside worked out an agreement with Jim to let him come along for a few bucks on the side. Jim agreed and by the time the afternoon rolled around, Jim was on the truck and headed for Flowerbud and, hopefully, Ace Valentine.


	24. Regrets

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: "REGRETS"

Cliff arrived on the farm at dawn, as always, and was surprised to find Jack not waiting for him. It was unusual for him, as he was normally up at dawn every day, no matter what. He reached the door to the house and put his ear to the door. "I shouldn't go in." He said to himself, "But if I go back home, he'll think I won't be coming when he does get up."

He rapped softly on the door. "Jack?"

No answer, so he turned the knob slowly and peeked his head in. The remains of the previous night's dinner and candles were all out in the open. The lights were off. Jack was nowhere in sight, but there was an ominous lump under the blankets of his bed. Cliff tip-toed in towards the bed and poked the lump. "Jack? You okay?"

Cliff, nosy person that he was, lifted the sheets and gasped.

"What're you doing?" Jack cried.

Cliff spun around to see Jack standing at the door behind him, dressed as he always was and with his right arm in a sling. He wore a scowl more fierce than usual. "I _knew_ it!" Jack said. "After my underwear."

Cliff looked back to the pile of dirty clothes that was under Jack's blanket. "Don't these go in the wash house?"

"I didn't have anywhere to hide them when Popuri came over." Jack yawned. "Come on, we got work. Or, rather, since I hurt my arm, _you_ have work."

"Wait, what do you mean Popuri came over?" Cliff asked.

Jack just shrugged. "Don't worry about it, sparky. Not important."

Cliff flashed a vile grin, "Oh, so _I_ have to spill the beans over every detail, but you get off scott clean? Oh no, homie don't play that." He followed Jack as the farmer walked out through the door. "Come on, Jack, what happened? Ann already told me she was coming over here"

Jack paused and spun, raising a finger. "Alright, but not a word to anyone."

Cliff used his fingers to zip his lips shut.

Jack nodded, turning and walking towards the field again. "Okay, so your girl comes up to me yesterday and says Popuri's been feeling down a lot lately, so I tell her to send pinkie my way. She's easy to please, for sure. Some flowers and dancing and she sings my praises day and night. Well, I made some dinner and we had wine to drink. You know me, I'm a lightweight. I had a half a glass, tops. She downed three glasses and she's smashed in no time. So we start dancing and, er...She tells me she wants me."

Cliff bit his lower lip, scrunching his face. "No _way!_ Popuri? That little angel with pink hair? I thought she was, like, the goodie-two shoes of the town...out of _all_ the goodie-two-shoes."

"Well, she keeps at me and I ask her if she's sure. So I take her to the couch—"

Cliff crossed his hands. "Time-out. You were actually going to take her? What happened?"

"Well, my head started getting fuzzy as I was reaching for her blouse. It's been a long time, Cliff, and I mean a _long_ time. I don't mean to sound crude, but I'd _love_ some nookie right about now."

"So you two didn't?"

Jack shook his head. "It felt like something weird was going on in my head, like I was fighting against some inner feeling. I swear, I thought I heard a voice cry out 'Nooo, Jack. Cold shower!' and then all of a sudden I look up at Popuri and she's fast asleep."

Cliff crossed his arms and scoffed, "Well, _that_ was anti-climactic."

"She was drunk, peon." Jack rapped his knuckles on Cliff's brow. "I may have been in the mood, but if there's one thing I'm not going to do, it's take advantage of a drunk girl. What kind of rapist would that make _me_? I was right, in any case. She woke up an hour ago and went into hysterics, and then she started crying because she had gotten drunk. Imagine how bad she'd be if she'd woken up in my bed."

"That _would_ be terrible." Cliff said. "Waking up next to all that dirty laundry. I'd cry too."

"I don't think she intended to get drunk." Jack said, shaking his head. "Or say those things she said. Doesn't add up with her. I don't know. I don't wanna think about it anymore. I'll see if Popuri wants to talk later, maybe."

"I guess those rumors I always heard about you weren't true." Cliff said.

Jack stopped in mid-stride and faced Cliff with a puzzled look on his face. "What rumors?"

"Rumors, Jack. Rumors that you were a manipulating horndog. I met a lot of pretty girls on the road who were more than happy to let me knew how much they hated your guts. "He never called', 'I thought he wanted to be with me', 'He never returned my messages', 'I saw him a week later and he didn't know my name'. That kind of thing."

Jack looked a little pleased with himself. "That just goes to show you how well it went between the sheets. It's like eating potato chips, you can't have just one. Well, they were deluding themselves if they thought that they were getting more than a night of consequence-free sex."

"That's a rather heartless thing to say." Cliff noted. Jack lifted his finger, ready to dispense another round of life-warming advice for a friend who he thought needed it when a shout caught his attention. He looked to the side and found a visibly angry Rick marching down the field towards him. Cliff nudged him, "He doesn't look very happy."

"I don't think he's ever had much to be happy for anyway." Jack replied, stuffing his hand into his pocket as he waited for Rick to approach him. When the young chicken farmer was about twenty feet away, he launched into a tirade.

"What in the world did you do to my sister?! First she goes missing last night and mother and I stay up all night waiting for her. Then an hour ago I go to feed the chickens and she's running from _your_ house wearing her best dress and crying her eyes out. She won't talk to me and she refuses to tell mom what's wrong with her. And since she ran over from _your_ house, I figured it must be _your_ fault!"

If there was one thing Jack never liked, it was people trying to shovel as much blame as they could onto his shoulders. Jack wasn't in the mood for anyone's ranting, so when Rick came within arm's length, he reached out with his good arm and grabbed Rick by the cuff of his shirt, pulling him off his feet and holding him in the air.

"There's _one_ thing I don't appreciate, Rick, and that's people always trying to blame something on _me_. It's not my fault your sister is an over-emotional drama-queen. But since you're so good at being the protective big brother, I'll cut you some slack." He set Rick on his feet. "Nothing happened, okay? Popuri just came over for some dinner, had a little bit to drink, and fell asleep on my couch."

"Is that all?" Rick asked, shaking his head. "I don't believe you."

Jack reached out and gave Rick a light shove. "Well, I don't care what you believe or don't believe! But I won't stand here and let some chicken jockey call me a liar on my own land."

"Jack—"

"Go home, Rick, before you _really_ piss me off." Jack stood there, staring down Rick with a steely-eyed gaze, watching the young chicken farmer back away while keeping his eyes on Jack. He looked at Jack with a great measure of confusion, as if seeing Jack for the first time. He had another look in his eyes, one Jack had seen many times before. Rick was genuinely _scared_ of him.

Cliff was dumbfounded. "Jack, that was...you know, there's something to be said, for a little tact. That was a bit overboard, don't you think?"

"My farm, my rules." Jack reached the barn and opened the door. "That's enough chit-chat for now. Feed Belle and Bilbo. I'll be back. I'm going to the General Store."

Cliff grunted but gave no other indication that he had heard Jack. As he set to his given tasks, Jack left for town with his wallet full. He planned on buying a few crops for the fall—some sweet potatoes and...well, sweet potatoes. He hoped there wasn't a sweet potato festival in the fashion of the tomato festival. That would hurt. Mostly, he was doing it because he loved sweet potato pie—especially around thanksgiving. He loved thanksgiving food, but wondered just what he was going to do for the holidays. He didn't really have anyone around here that he was interested in eating with.

He'd make a phone call to dad and see what was going on. He might just make it something small, if only it was the three of them. Once at the General Store, he found Duke exiting it with an armload of groceries in both hands. Manna came right behind him, holding a couple of bags herself. They nodded to Jack and passed by.

Jack went in and found the store empty save for Karen. She looked up and fixed him with her half-open bedroom eyes and a smile that said_, 'Come and get me'_ She moved around the counter and leaned against it as he strode forward. "Where's your parents?" He asked.

"Out." Karen replied. "Dad's writing orders down with Zack and mom's visiting Lillia. So come here." She said, crooking her finger. Jack approached with a predatory grin and snaked his hand to her waist, pulling her close and locking lips tightly. They kissed for a few minutes, their hands moving up and down each other, groping, feeling, rubbing affectionately.

Finally, Karen pulled away and sighed. "You are...such a good kisser."

"You're no slouch either. Say, I have a question: did Duke and Manna pay?"

Karen rolled her eyes. "Of course not. They paid _some_, but not all. His tab right now is about five hundred and fifty. To be expected, really."

Jack shook his head angrily. "Stupid, ignorant old fool. You'd think he'd learn his lesson. Well, looks like he'll have to learn it all over again." He reached into his pockets and produced a wad of cash. He plucked five hundred dollar bills out of the fold and tossed it to Karen, who looked at him with a puzzled look. "Jack, you don't have to bother with it, really."

"I know, but it's for his own good." Jack waved his hand dismissively. "Tell Duke if he doesn't pay up, I'll beat it out of his hide."

"Jack, I wish you'd—"

"I'll do as I darn well please, Karen. Just tell Duke the next time you see him, okay? Now I need five bags of sweet potatoes. I'm gonna make sweet potato pies come Thanksgiving, care to come?"

But Karen had suddenly become sullen and withdrawn. "I don't know. Five sacks of seeds will be six hundred and thirty dollars."

"You highway robber. Say, do you want to come over tonight?" Jack asked.

Karen shrugged, her tone shallow and unfeeling. "I don't know. I don't think so."

"Hey, come on. This is Flowerbud. What else are you gonna do?" Jack laughed, but Karen stared at him. Jack knew what that look was and he was rather glad to live on the other side of the village when she was in such a grouchy mood. He snapped up the seed bags and didn't bother to look at her as he left. "Fine. Be that way. I'm out."

The door opened before he reached it and Duke was walking in. "Karen, I forgot something." He nodded to Jack as the young man walked past. By the time Jack reached the Library, he heard Duke's startled yell from the General Store and smiled to himself. Another debt to look forward to. That'd teach Duke to welsh on his debts.

When he got back, he found Cliff had finished feeding the animals and was chopping some weeds up. Jack just waved him off, telling him to go home. "Winter will be here in a few weeks," He said, "And the cold will kill it anyway. I'm only planting a small row of sweet potatoes, so don't worry about them. We'll catch them in spring."

Cliff left, seemingly all the more happy to do it.

Jack went inside and laid down on the couch, feeling tired for whatever reason. He felt uninspired today, not even wanting to put forth any effort. It must have been autumn. He hated autumn. It was going to be a long one. At least in winter, he had snow to play with. He closed his eyes and took a quick nap.

That nap lasted only an hour as he heard a sharp knock at his door. Getting up to answer it, he found Harris on the other side. "Jack, sorry to be here, but we're Holding Court again."

Jack scoffed loudly, throwing his hands in the air. "Don't tell me. Duke again?"

"Yes, Jack. And you'd best get ready to put on a heck of a show like you did last time, because this time, not _everyone_ is on your side." Those words sent a chill down Jack's spine—a chill he replaced with a flash of anger. He didn't really have anything to be worried or be angry about, but he set his determination with that anger and by the time he and Harris got to the Inn, he was ready to knock someone's block off.

He kicked the door aside with his foot and strode in, back straight, arms at his sides with fists clenched, his chin up. He stared out impassively at the whole of the village—save for Ellen, Stu, and May—and found everyone staring at him accusingly. Duke stood by his stool, calmly waiting for Jack.

"Mad again, Duke?" Jack bellowed in his promo voice. Duke just stared at him.

"Please, have a seat, Jack." Mayor Thomas said with a deep sigh, "We are gathered here, again, to settle a dispute between Duke and Jack. The situation remains the same. Jack has paid Duke's tab at the General Store and taken the debt unto himself. Jack, would you like to state your side of the story?"

Jack grinned smugly. "You all heard me before. You know how I feel. That old crook owes me five hundred-fifty this time. I figured he'd have learned his lesson the first time, but I guess not. I don't think I have to go into all that again." He sat on his stool, satisfied that his words were enough. But what he got back from the rest of the village was a bit of confusion and a few looks of disdain, especially from Manna, who turned her head at him.

Thomas turned to Duke. "Duke, you would like to rebut Jack's statement?"

Duke cleared his throat. "You all know me. I won't say I'm the best character this world has ever seen, but I'm certainly no crook. Truth is, whereas Jack _may_ have had some kind of foothold on logic the first time he paid my debt, this time was nothing more than him sticking his big nose in my business."

He pointed to Jack. "Maybe it's because he just doesn't know how the village works."

Jack burst out suddenly. "How the village works?"

Thomas banged a small gavel down on his table. "Jack, you can't speak yet!"

Jack spun to the other villagers. "Tell me this: who else has a tab worth five-hundred dollars? Huh? _Who?_"

One by one, the hand of every villager raised slowly—from Popuri to Saibara to Gotz. Jack suddenly felt like quite the fool. "You've got to be kidding me."

Manna said, "Jack, it's how the village _works_."

"We don't make the kind of money you do." Sabara added.

"We _all_ have a tab at the General Store." Zach said, "We have to, since our money comes in short, infrequent times."

"Unlike you: the instant money machine." Duke said. "As it so happens, I _did_ learn a lesson from that. I've worked out a frequent payment schedule with Jeff because you made me realize that if he goes out of business, the entire village would collapse. But no one here can afford so much all at once. If you're so concerned about Jeff's store, why don't you give him the money yourself. It's not right that you think you can go and pay off my tab. If you're going to call me a crook, then you're also calling the Mayor a crook. You're calling Lillia and Rick and Popuri crooks. You're calling us _all_ crooks, Jack." Duke sat back down in his stool and ran his hand over his hair, suddenly looking as if he felt a hundred years old.

The Mayor looked to everyone. "We've heard the sides. Time to vote."

"That won't be necessary." Jeff said. He looked to Karen, who reluctantly reached into her pocket and pulled out the hundred dollar bills. He walked over to Jack and handed him his own money back. "Jack, Duke's right. You _are_ sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Just take your money back and don't worry..._gulp_ about...it..." Jeff's voice trailed as he looked at Jack glaring down his arm and into his eyes.

Jeff very nearly wet himself. Drops of sweat rolled down his forehead as Jack glared at him, an angry leer that would have knocked sense into a grizzly bear. Jack reached up slowly and took the money from him. Jeff retreated, all the more relieved to be away from him.

Mayor Thomas cleared his throat and banged his gavel again. "Court is adjourned. Go home, everyone."

Jack was the first to leave. He stood up and stormed out, leaving a ruffled village behind him. He marched onto his property and kicked the mailbox on his way in. He wasn't even sure why it made him so angry, only that it had infuriated him to no end. But why? Nothing had ever eaten at him like this before. Except once: those early years in pro wrestling, when he had wanted to get a higher rank on the card.

That was it. The Ten-Man Tourney. It was a tournament that had been his first big break. That was back when nobody had known who Ace Valentine was. He had been depressed for weeks when a wrestler named Izzy Tolborne had started mocking him, calling him a 'pretty boy nobody' for weeks. Jack started hating his guts and he'd used that to psych him into a near unstoppable rage that he unleashed the night of the tourney.

Jack smiled when he thought of that Tournament. He'd gone out and taken his first opponent out in two moves. Clothesline, and his finishing move, the Mountainside Massacre (He wasn't even sure how they got that name for it). He took down the rest of the tournament in much the same fashion until it was just him and old Izzy. The old wrestler had been watching Jack's matches and was afraid that Jack was going to embarrass him in much the same way, by taking him out easily.

Jack embarrassed him alright, but not by taking him out. Jack had laid a beating on Izzy that had put the revered old schooler into retirement. After that night, everyone knew who Ace Valentine was and from there it was all uphill. To think, he was only seventeen when he'd done that. He won his first AWF Championship at eighteen—the youngest champion in history to ever win a world title.

He'd been just as angry then. Angry at the world because nothing was going his way. Why, then, had he been that angry in there? Because something wasn't going his way. Well, there was a way around that. He'd just have to show Flowerbud how Ace Valentine handled things, if they didn't like how Jack took care of business.

He was at home for a while when he heard a knock at the door. He went up to it, yelling, "Whoever it is, you'd better have some good news for a change!"

He opened it briskly, scaring Popuri who was standing on the other side. She looked up at Jack with eyes that seemed more befitting a scared critter. She literally cringed under his gaze, touching her fingers together. "Jack? I-I..." She paused, her voice catching in her throat.

Jack sighed, and looked down on her, feeling his anger melting away a bit. He reached down and tilted her chin up so she could look at him. "Hey, it's me, alright. Don't be scared, okay?"

She nodded. "May I come in?"

Jack let her in and shut the door behind him. "What'd I do now?"

"It's not what you did, it's me." Popuri said, her voice squeaking. "Jack, I...I don't remember anything about last night besides dinner and wine and dancing. Did...did we...did we...you know...do anything?"

Jack shook his head. "No."

"Jack, I know I said some things, but...but I just..." Her bottom lip wavered and she began to tear up. "I'm not a slut, Jack! I'm not like that! I'm sorry I ever asked you those things. I was drunk!"

Oh boy, now Jack felt like a true heel. He'd been the one to put the win into her. "Listen, Poe...come here." He sat on the couch and patted his knee. She slowly came over and sat on his leg. He put his arm around her. "It's okay. People do stupid things when they're drunk. You can't help it if you just turn into a little honeypot when you drink."

Popuri giggled, wiping her eyes and sniffling. "So...you don't think I'm a whore?"

"Not any more than any other girl. Look, girls get those feelings, too. It's natural. Just...be a little careful with the wine, okay? Don't tell me that kind of thing, I'm not exactly strong when it comes to that."

"You mean, you didn't...wait?"

Jack laughed. "Poe, I had seven girlfriends. What do you think? Come on, even you have given it a curious try, right?"

Popuri shook her head. "No. Mama said it's something special for a husband and wife. It's God's law that we save ourselves. Jack, you don't want to give in to that kind of temptation, do you?"

Jack looked at her again, "I didn't figure you for the religious type, Poe."

She looked to her hands sheepishly. "I read my bible every night and pray every day, but I'm not open about it too much. I pray for you, you know. That your farm will succeed and you'll do well."

"I've already done well, Poe. The farm is just my vacation from life." He smiled. "So you're a little bible-thumper, are you?"

Popuri smiled and blushed. "I'm not good at ministering. I like to listen to Pastor Carter. I'm more of a learner. I know what I said was wrong, but at the time it just...felt so..."

"It just felt right?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. I'm not a bad person, am I, Jack?"

"You're a fine person, Popuri." Jack assured her. "Just don't drink so much next time."

She giggled. "And when will next time be?"

Jack laughed. She was clever at wrangling him into dates with her. "Not sure. I think I'm going to take a vacation from the farm soon, go back home and visit the folks. You wanna come?"

"No, I can't. Momma and Rick need me for the holidays." Popuri sighed, "I don't like it when you go off. I miss you."

Jack shrugged helplessly, "Well, you'll just have to do without my handsome face for a week or so."

She jumped off his leg. "I need to get going. Thanks for dinner yesterday, I'm just sorry I had to go and screw it up. I thought I had really done something with you and I don't want to. I want to wait, you know?"

"Not really, but I'll humor you just in case."

He opened the door for her and she paused, looking to him expectantly. He caught on after a moment and leaned down to give her a gentle kiss on the lips. She blushed like she always did and bid him good-night, walking home and leaving him to his own thoughts.

He made a mental note to call his old man tomorrow and see what was going on for Thanksgiving. He'd have to drop by right quick and not linger, if that joker was still trying to hunt him down. He wasn't sure if the truck was still going to be there. It'd been there for five months by now, without any cranking or driving. It was junk, wasn't it? No, he'd told his old man to sell it. So someone was going to have to come get him.

Too many plans and too much to think about. He'd have to do it all tomorrow. It was only seven, but he felt tired, yet pleased. He laid down with his arms behind his head and a smile on his face. He was glad that Popuri had come over. Seemed when she was around, he just couldn't stay angry. Must have been those big puppy dog eyes.

Still, Karen was ever at the back of his mind, like a nagging voice. He could just see her back at the General Store, leaning against the counter and staring at him with those dreamy eyes and that finger beckoning him towards her. Then that counter was a silk-sheet lined bed and she was wearing a black-laced one-piece lingerie with stockings—oh, but how Jack loved seeing a girl wear stockings. He smiled deeper. Lately, Karen had been ever more taunting him when he closed his eyes. He could see her there, with him.

The rest, as they say, is not for us.

XxXxXxX

Mary squinted hard, trying to keep herself awake as she studied her Psychology book. She sighed sleepily and yawned. She closed the book and shook her head. "Oh Jack. You poor boy. Are you really suffering so much on the inside?"

She set the book aside and took her glasses off, then switched the light off and drifted to sleep. Lay in the moonlight, shining through her window. As she began to drift off to sleep, she wasn't aware of the dark figure standing before her window. He opened the door and came inside, standing above her bed. She heard the scuffling of his feet and woke up, staring at the figure above her.

Before she could ask who it was, he leaned down and took her in an impassioned kiss. She almost squealed in surprise, but feeling his familiar lips, she wrapped her arms around his neck. When she parted, she said, "I've been thinking about you."

"I've been thinking about you, too. I can't stop thinking about you."

"Where is this all going?" She asked, squinting to see him. "Where?"

"I don't know." He said,. She heard him swallow loudly, "But I couldn't stay away. I had to see you again. I...I've never felt like this before. I don't...don't know what to do."

She smiled, running her hand across his cheek. "Don't think about it. For now, just kiss me. I like your kisses." And they did, kissing again for the first of many times that night.


	25. Jack's Revenge

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: "JACK'S REVENGE"

He entered Flowerbud mid-morning half-way through Fall. The ferry made landfall and Zack got out and tied it up. He opened the sidedoor and let the black clad stranger out onto the dock. The man with the slick black hair turned to Zack. "When's this ferry leave again?"

Zack just shrugged. "One week."

Jim Black handed a hundred dollars to Zack. "I'm not going to be in town that long. I'll front you this to get me outta here when I'm good and ready."

Zack stared at the bill and took it. "Alright. Got yourself a deal, friend."

Jim Black pulled his black trenchcoat tighter and sighed, his breath blowing out before him in a white haze. "Where can I go to get some information...and a meal?"

"Might as well kill two birds with one stone and go to the Redwood Inn. Doug'll be able to tell you anything you want to know." Zack answered.

"Thanks." Jim said, "You know, you don't sound like some country bumpkin. You from around here?"

"I'm from Chicago. Just making a livin' here. Course, it's an easy one." He said. Jim nodded and made his way into town. The air out here was crisp and fresh, birds singing, trees swaying gently, depositing their browning leaves onto the grounds. It was surreal, picture-esque, beautiful.

Jim Black hated it.

He strolled through town, nodding idly at the three women gathered in Rose Square. The one with the short black hair gave him a twinkle in her eyes, but the others regarded him coolly. He didn't say anything as he walked past and parted the doors to the Redwood Inn. Inside, it was sparsely populated, to say the least. The big fellow with the orange hair and mustache welcomed him as he wiped down some glasses. At the end of the bar was a cute tomboyish girl wearing some overalls and an orange braid. Standing behind her was a fellow in a drab brown shirt and blue jean shorts.

Cliff eyed Jim Black and knew right away he was trouble. A slimy, greasy slimeball that couldn't possibly be here for the scenery. His skin crawled and he figured there was only one thing this guy, who looked nothing like a country-going fellow, could possibly be here for. He had to leave, but without looking suspicious.

He leaned close to Ann, touching her skin with his finger and whispered, "Ann, whatever you do, do _not_ tell that guy that Jack Harris lives here."

"Why?" She asked softly.

"Trust me, Ann. This guy is trouble. If he asks for Jack, tell him he doesn't live here. The same thing goes for the name Ace Valentine."

"Who's that?"

"No one. Ann, please, don't tell them about Jack or anyone like that. Trust me, okay?"

"Ann. Customer." Doug said.

Ann looked down at Cliff, who nodded softly. She scrunched her nose, her little quirk that he knew she used only when she trusted him. She had trusted him many times. She had trusted him when he had promised never to hurt her, to be gentle with her. In lovemaking, life, the little moments when she was sure her father wasn't around to see them. When he had promised her that she wasn't just some fling, but serious about his words to care for her, she trusted him. Never had he asked for anything in return, but now when he begged her, she felt compelled to trust him.

She jumped down from the counter and walked on over to Jim. Cliff picked something and pretended to be lifting it up the stairs. As soon as he reached the second floor, he ran into his room and climbed out the window, jumping down to the ground below. He broke out into a sprint towards Jack's farm.

Ann approached the stranger with her hands tucked into her back pockets. She looked over and found her dad entering the basement, shutting it behind him, going to fire up the stove, no doubt. She turned to the man as he sat at a table and sighed, glad to be sitting.

"Morning', stranger." She said, "We don't get too many out of town folks around here. What can I get for ya?"

"Any pumpkin pie?" He asked, looking her up and down hungrily.

"It'll take a little while to cook it, but no problem."

"As long as you fill me up on coffee, there'll be a little bit extra in for you, good-lookin'." He handed her an extra twenty dollars bill, an old trick he used. He figured he'd butter her up, get her to like him and she'd willing to offer any information she had. When she turned around, he gave her a firm slap on her butt. She jumped a little, but didn't object and that, to him, was a good sign. He didn't know. How could he? He didn't know Ann just liked to bottle anger away so she could explode later.

Ann went to fix the pumpkin pie and found her dad in the back, taking inventory. "He wants anything, Ann?"

"Just a little pie, dad." Ann said, toning her voice right so he wouldn't think anything was amiss. The last thing she needed was him going berserk and trying to kill the stranger. She could fight her own battles. She always had.

XxXxXxX

Cliff was out of breath by the time he reached the farm and once there, he found Jack talking with Barley while May ran around the farm. He ran straight up to Jack, his chest heaving as he struggled for what little breath he could.

"Jack!" He cried, running up to the two of them. "J-Jack! Gotta...gotta...talk to...you!" He heaved.

Jack eyed him. "What's wrong? You say something mean to Ann? She chasing you? If that's the case, just get off my land right now. I don't want any part of her."

"Shut up!" Cliff cried. He grabbed Jack's arm and led him away, out of earshot from Barley. "Jack, some guy is at the Inn. Definitely out of town. I think...I think he may be here looking for you."

"What'd he look like?" Jack asked.

"Slimey looking fellow. Slick black hair...looks like a real weasel. I don't think he's here for the apple pie, know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Jack ground his teeth together. It sounded like that private eye hired to find him—or at least one of them. Curse it all, was his past ever going to leave him be? He had to do something, but what?

"I told Ann not to tell him where you were, so maybe we'll be okay." Cliff said.

Jack snapped his fingers. "Got a better idea." He turned around and marched right up to Barley. "Hey Barley. I need to ask a favor. A real important one."

The old fellow just smiled politely. "Sure, young fella. What can I do?"

XxXxXxX

Ann brought out a slice of steaming pumpkin pie for Jim Black and some more coffee. Each time she had turned, he gave her another firm pat, although each pat was also followed by an increasingly longer cup of her cheeks. She ignored it, figuring she would just kill him later or something.

He finished off two slices, complimented her on her looks, and, of course, continued to grope her. Jim took a liking to Ann. She was young, good looking enough for him that he'd have taken her home as long as he had three—maybe four—beers in him, and she looked awfully scrumptious in her overalls and shirt, and, of course, she was just legal enough so he wouldn't go to jail. If he poured on a little charm, he might find Ace _and_ have sweet lay before he left.

When she came back to fill up his coffee mug, he took a hundred dollar bill and tucked it into the lip of her overalls. "Listen, sweetie, I need to know something and I hope you can help me. Did an old fellow named Harris used to live here?"

Uh-oh. Ann felt herself freeze momentarily. That wasn't a question she was expecting. She nodded. "Yeah, old man Jack used to live here in the corner of town." She nearly slapped herself. She hadn't meant to tell him where the farm was. She tried not to look like she was worried.

"Great. Listen, does his grandson live there now?"

"Nope." She lied.

"Does anybody?"

"Not that I know of."

Jim smiled his greasy smile. "Come on, sweetie. You can't tell me you don't know everything that goes on in this little town. Just tell me if he's out there. I'm not going to cause any trouble, I just want to know. Do this for me and maybe I can do something for _you._ Something your little cousins in this backwards town can't give you—something a pretty girl like you deserves."

"What's that?" She tried to play innocent, "Ice cream?"

"Something sweeter than ice cream." Without warning, he reached out and cupped her crotch, his hands grabbing where they shouldn't have. Ann just leaned over slowly, her own hand reaching for his crotch. She smiled. It was easy when she thought ahead five seconds. "Is it as sweet as this?"

Ann viciously grabbed the delicate bits of his anatomy and curled her clawed hand around it, twisting and pulling tightly enough to make him yelp in surprise and nearly jump out of his seat. "Shut up!" She hissed. "And don't move!"

Jim Black felt the increased pressure and paused. If he struggled, it wouldn't be pretty. She leaned closer to him, a sadistic smile on her face. "I figure one good twist and a hard enough pull and you'll live life as a woman. Get this through your thick skull, because your future health depends on it: there isn't any Jack living in town, so I suggest you leave before I get angry."

Jim nodded weakly.

She grinned, "Good. And just for further notice, your dating skills need work." She pulled, walking slowly and leading Jim by his tender parts, until she reached the door and let go. Before he could do anything, she cold-coked him in his gut. He doubled over and she gave him a swift kick to his hind end, forcing him through the doors and shutting them as he fell on the ground. She called him the foulest word she could think of and laughed, locking the door in place.

Jim Black stood up, growling but discretion was the better part of valor so he decided to leave well enough alone. He knew the farm was at the corner of town and all the roads led to one corner, so he limped his way slowly down the roads of the small town, rubbing his tender parts gently. That barmaid certainly wasn't any fool. He may have had this place wrong.

When he reached the end of town, he looked up at the sign leading to the only farm in town and smiled when he read the words 'VALENTINE FARM'. A look out at the field told him all that he needed to know: someone lived here. The field was trimmed, the fences newly posted, and the lights of the house was on. He marched straight up to the window and peeked in. He only needed to see if Ace lived here, he didn't have to confront him. When he looked inside, he could see a bald old man wearing glasses, reading a book in his hands.

That certainly wasn't Ace, so he decided to see if he could probe the old man. He made the short jot to the door and knocked on it. A second later, Old Man Barley opened it and looked up at him, supporting himself on his cane. "Need some help, sir?"

"Yes, my name is Jim Black and I'm here looking for Jack Harris."

"No Jack Harris here." Barley said, frowning. "Just me. Old Jack died three-and-a-half years ago."

"What about young Jack?"

"No young Jack here, either. Old Jack hated his son and his no good grandson. They aren't welcome here and I told young Jack that when he came here earlier in the year."

"He came here?" Jim asked, holding back a smile.

"Wanted the farm, he did, but he'll not get it. Old Jack may have left the farm to him, but that young upstart didn't want it or need it. Told me he didn't have time for a farm, so he gave it to me, his old grandpa's best friend."

"Did he, ah, say where he was going?"

Barley furrowed his brow. "Sure as rain, he did. Said he was going on the run, gonna see the states and then head for Canada. Said he didn't like folks anymore. Fruity lad, I say. Died his hair blonde and got that plastic surgery, so he looks different. Haven't seen or heard from him since. Said he'd never come back."

Jim sighed. Dead end. Just like the rest. "Did he leave a number or something? Address?"

"Nothing. Sorry, but I don't care about that lad or anything he does. Let him live his life, if that's what he wants. I don't care."

"Thanks." Jim turned about and marched back into town. So much for this lead. Jack must have not wanted the farm, and why should he? He was one of the world's richest men. What would he need a farm for?

Jim Black marched back through town and straight to Zack's. He called the ferryman out and asked to be taken home. Zack grunted in displeasure at having to make the two-hour trip across and down the river, but he just shrugged it off and fired up the ferry. Before the afternoon had even passed by, Jim Black was on his way out of Flowerbud and from the woods at the edge of the river, Jack hid from sight and watched him go, his heart thumping loudly in his chest and his breath heavy.

When Barley shut the door, he looked to Cliff, who was hiding behind the door. "That good enough?"

Cliff grinned. "Yeah. Good work, Barl."

XxXxXxX

Jack got back to the farm in time to see Cliff and Barley laughing about the conversation. Cliff had been hiding behind the couch, in case Jim Black had decided to get rough with Barley. When Jack got to them, Cliff was laughing hysterically. "Jack, you should have seen it. Barley was perfect. It took him less than two minutes to run the guy off."

"Did he think anything was wrong?" Jack asked, cautiously.

"Nope." Cliff answered. "Not a thing. As far as he's concerned, Jack Harris blonde, with a new face, and on his way around the US and eventually into Canada. Good work, Barley."

The old man shrugged. "If there's one thing I hate more than anything else, it's salesman. Why do you think this one was looking for you, Jack?"

Jack fought a laugh. He'd told Barley the guy was a salesman trying to get to him and to see if he could convince him that there was no Jack Harris living at the farm. According to Cliff's recollection of the events, that was precisely what had happened. And, he hoped, this guy was never going to bother him again. Still, he didn't like having this happen. He made a mental note to himself for when he left town.

He patted Barley on the shoulder. "Thanks, Barley. I owe you a debt I can't repay. If you need anything, anything at all, I'll be happy to oblige. Just name it."

"Bah. I don't need nothing right now, but if I do I'll give you a shout." Barley smiled, "Now if you'll excuse me, it's cold outside and I mean to get home and in front of a fire before these old bones of mine start to aching too much to bear."

Jack bid him farewell and turned to Cliff, sighing in relief and wiping his brow. "I really dodged the bullet. Thanks, bucko. If you hadn't spotted him, he'd have run right into me."

Cliff shrugged the praise off. "Who do you think he was?"

"I don't know."

"He said his name was Jim Black."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Jim Black. I'll remember that."

XxXxXxX

A phone call the next day set up Thanksgiving, though he had to word it carefully in case anyone was listening in, which he doubted they were. It was a tricky situation, going outside the village. But Jack was a little homesick and he wanted to see his parents something fierce. According to his dad, the truck had been taken and sold, so it wasn't there. That meant someone was going to have to pick him up and that someone was going to have to be his dad, who promised that he'd pick him up in due time. They made arrangements for the meeting and Jack started taking care of his business.

First order was his animals. He paid Cliff a week's pay in advance to take care of the critters and keep the sweet potatoes watered. The way Jack figured it, they'd be ready by the time he got back near the end of autumn. So far he hadn't eaten any sweet potato pie and that, in and of itself, was a crime to him.

He didn't talk to any of the girls before leaving, figuring one might want to come with him and that was something he didn't care for. Not that it wasn't nice, but it just didn't feel like the time—to say nothing of conflicting feelings he was beginning to feel for all three. He felt something, something unperceivable at this point, for each girl. It was different for each one, but the feeling of each was exhilarating. He felt something for one that he didn't feel for the other two. Odd.

He mulled every now and then some ideas that were definitely not going to work. Like four-ways and polygamy. Taboo, for sure, but about the only way it'd work right now. The sensual ideas ran rampant during those scenarios, but he dismissed them with a grin and a shake of his head.

The days were getting colder and, according to the tv, there'd be a good cold front coming through while he was gone. Already, the long-sleeve flannel shirts were only doing so much. He'd need a thicker jacket to wear. He packed lightly, not wanting a whole lot to carry with him. He wasn't going to ask his father to drive him everywhere, so as soon as they reached civilization, he was going to get a rental car and a hotel room.

The night before he left, he was busy lying on the couch, holed up with a book when he got a craving for BLTs. He looked up and smiled, closing his book and moving towards the door. He opened it just as Mary was raising her hand to knock. She looked at him, blinking.

He laughed, "I got the old craving. What's up?"

"Jack, I heard you were going away." She said. "Is that true?"

"True enough." Jack answered. "Going to the folks for Thanksgiving. What about you?"

"We're having ours, of course." She held something in her hands, a thick bunch of papers. "I figured...that now would be the best time for this." She handed the papers to him.

He took it. It was bounds by bits of string and with words on the pages typed by hand. "What is it?"

"My novel." She said, smiling and blushing as she looked away. "I thought you might be able to read it while you're gone, so that I wouldn't be tempted to ask you every day what you think of it."

Jack looked at the title: _"The Man with Two Hearts."_ He looked at with a surprised smile. "I'm surprised, Mary. I didn't know you had finished it so fast. I most certainly will read it. Thanks." He leaned down to give her a small kiss, but she turned away. "Jack! It's still light out. People could see us."

"You're right." He said, a familiar grin returning; one Mary had seen last time. "Why don't you come on in?"

She shook her head. "Thanks, but I really have to get back. Promise you'll give it a thorough look and an honest critique?"

Jack held his hand to his heart. "It would be my honor, fair lady."

Mary giggled as she left and Jack put the manuscript in with his things that he would be taking with him. It would be something original, at least. He wished—or part of him wished—that Mary had stayed. Maybe that was just wishful thinking. Jack sighed, frustrated. His lack of sexual activity the past months had begun to eat away at him and more so than he'd ever been accustomed to. He wasn't a hound-dog, that's for sure, but he was beginning to think about going to a bar for a one-night hookup while he was out of the village.

He sighed in frustration. The human male was not made for such long durations of such things.

XxXxXxX

The next morning, Jack woke up and was out by dawn. The morning was especially chilly. His tree had nothing but golden leaves left on it. He gave Frodo one last pat on the head before locking up the house and making his way out of town. As he tried to wake up, he sipped a cup of hot chocolate. He had never liked coffee. He never understood why something that could smell so good could taste so foul. Hot chocolate did the same thing for him in the winter that coffee did for others all year round.

He reached the edge of Rose Square when he heard a familiar female voice calling, "Jack!"

He spun and found Popuri running towards him, her hands carrying a bundle. She wore her usual dress with a dark pink jacket. She looked rather alert and awake for so early in the morning. "Jack, Ann told me you were leaving today!"

"And Cliff must have told Ann." Jack said. "I'm not surprised. Seems that everyone knows I'm leaving. I'll be back in a week or so."

She pouted visibly. "Aww, I'm gonna miss you, Jack. I was...well, I had hoped you'd spend Thanksgiving with me an' Rick an' Momma."

Jack reached out and patted her on the cheek, to which she blushed and smiled. "Sorry, Poe. I miss my family, too."

"Well, I wasn't going to try and convince you not to go or ask if I could come or anything, so I made you something." She handed him a roundish bundle, wrapped in a poka-dotted cloth. He turned it over in his hands. It felt soft, but he wasn't sure so he asked, "What is it?"

"Don't peek, it's a surprise." She said. "When you get lonely on the road, just take that out and you'll know I'm there with you, okay? I made it myself."

Jack chuckled. "Poe, you really know how to confound a guy. I'd better go before Zack leaves me behind. I'll catch ya when I come back, alright?"

She nodded and turned her cheek to him, what was becoming the routine for them. He pecked her on the cheek and they parted, turning away from each other. He was off again on the path, hoping for no more interruptions when he saw a familiar figure wearing a purple jacket at the entrance to the beach. Karen spied him and sighed, her breath fogging before her.

"I hate the cold." She said when he got near.

"I don't mind it, as long as I'm bundled well." Jack mentioned. "Kinda of makes you want to cuddle when you're cold."

"Jack, I never knew you were the romantic type." She stepped towards him, pressing herself against him. "This won't take long. I want to get back home and into a blanket, but I heard you were leaving and wanted to give you something." She stood up on her toes and gave Jack a long, fiery kiss. If Jack was chilly before, he wasn't after the kiss had ended. He felt like shedding his jacket.

"That was quite a parting gift." He said, grinning.

She grinned back, "Well, that was more like a preview of things to come. Let's just say when you get back, you can look forward to a lot more of those...and perhaps a bit more."

Jack felt his blood rushing even more quickly through his veins. "Oh, you tease."

She gave him another lip-lock and patted his arm, "Bye Jack. See you when you get home."

That was a reunion Jack was certainly looking forward to. But if he waited any longer, he'd miss the ferry. Zack was willing to wait, but his scheduled meeting with the cargo trucks only gave him so much leeway. He made his way down to the beach, which was about ten degrees colder than the rest of the town because of the river, and hauled himself onto the ferry. With the same feeling of homesickness, Jack watched as they pushed off from Flowerbud and down the river.

XxXxXxX

Like clockwork, his father was there, waiting for him in his car. He picked up Jack and they were off on the long road to Metro Heights, Jack's childhood home. For some time, Jack didn't have much at all to say. He told his dad of the farm, how it was doing, how he was learning to take care of the land and it's animals. He omitted the girls, as he no doubt would have a hard time explaining to his mother about three girls at once when he reached home. He did, however, tell his father about Jim Black.

"Jim Black, you say?" Kevin Harris nodded. "So _that's_ who it was stalking our front door."

"You know him?"

"You don't spend a few years on the police force without getting to know some of the real scumbags that hang out in Metro Heights. Come to think of it, he told me his name when he was pretending to be an IRS guy. Stupid me, why didn't I think of that then? Jack, he's a real piece of gutter trash. He's got a reputation, a good one, but only because he's usually going around the law to do it. Not much is beyond him and he's supposed to be good for getting the job done."

"Well, I drove him off, so hopefully he won't come back." Jack said.

"Well, we stopped getting those hired goons coming around or calling by about the beginning of summer, but this Jim Black seems to be in it for the long run." Kevin grabbed a slim jim between the seats and opened it. "The way I figure it, at the rate this guy charges, someone with cash is still trying to hunt you down, Jack. I don't know if he's going to quit that easily. He _may_ come back."

Jack bit his lip. He had hoped this wasn't the case, but his dad was making perfect sense. "Someone with cash, eh? There's only one guy I know who has tons of cash that'd want to find me."

"Your old boss?"

"Aaron St. Claire." Jack spat the name out, "That money-grubbing old fart. I never liked him. Terrible businessman; terrible human being. He never gave me a second glance until I started making him money. When that happened, I had free reign of whatever I did. I bet he's not happy I left at all."

Kevin snapped another bite off. "I bet not. Sorry sap."

"Let's take care of this problem once and for all, Dad." He turned a mischievous look to his old man, "Let's show Jim Black and Aaron St. Claire why you don't mess with the Harris men."

"That sounds like a dubious thing to do, Jack. Go and ruin someone's life, scare the wits out of them, make them afraid to go to sleep at night." He turned a grin, "Sounds like fun. Let's do it."

XxXxXxX

Once into some form of civilization, Kevin Harris grabbed a rental car for Jack and let him go about his own business. Jack went and rented a hotel room a few miles into town. He didn't want to stay at his parents for fear of a repeat of the last little trip, so he stayed in his hotel room—gracefully bought with some cash and a forged ID, both compliments of his father—and watched some tv and dove into Mary's novel, a romance about a man who lived two separate lives with a different wife and different family in two separate towns.

Monday night, the night before Thanksgiving, he looked up from the novel in time to see that it was seven o'clock, just in time for good old AWF Monday Rumble, the show he had pioneered and brought to fame. He put the novel aside and turned it to the old channel. "What the heck." He said, throwing away all his old fears.

The show started with the usual rock theme and the pyros of the entrance ramp exploding. But when the smoke cleared and Jack saw the crowd, his consequence-free romp through old times vanished. The show started off with a tag-team bout between four guys he'd never heard of. But he knew enough to know that this was Aaron St. Claire's lousy handiwork.

St. Claire always had a strange obsession with big guys. Big, tall, muscled guys. Known in some circles as a 'Hoss'. The problem with these guys was simple: they stunk. They had size, and the evident look of a potential champ, but they didn't have a lick of talent and put on a downright boring match. Jack was appalled, not because of the poor quality, but because he had spent all those years beating into Aaron's head the right way to book an exciting match, how to sell a PPV match, how to hire the right guys who not only had charisma, but talent to boot. If St. Claire had had his way, everybody in the ring would be just some big, tall, muscled hoss, beating each other senseless with lame move sets.

Jack had only been 6'2', which was about as small a guy as Jack had ever seen St. Claire hire. He hated Cruiserweights, the smaller aerial wrestlers like Kai, because he didn't think they were big enough to make an impact. Well, other federations excelled where he failed at this and he didn't realize that such small wrestlers could perform more exciting moves and absorb more damage—meaning more punishing, exciting matches. It was just as well that Kai had never wanted to work for St. Claire, because Jack had tried time and time again to get him hired with a generous salary, but even when St. Claire had settled on a salary and wage agreement for Kai, he knew that Kai would have been buried in dark matches—the un-televised matches before the show started—and earning a third of what he made now. Not working for St. Claire was a no brainer.

Jack had influenced St. Claire into hiring some real top notch guys—including Butch "The Cleaver" Cliver, who was not only big, but skilled as well. Now, though, his absence was evident. Not only was the match quality poor, but Jack's previous input into the storylines and character building was clearly ignored in his absence, as there were characters who no one cared about and incomprehensible storylines from one end of the show to another. One segment was between an old timer named Big Baker Brown, a veteran who had shown Jack the ropes, and some girl named Kelly. It was a pregnancy angle, with Big Butch supposedly getting her pregnant.

Jack hit the pillow next to him. "If I told him once, I told that idiot a thousand times _never_ to do a pregnancy angle." They always ended the same way: false alarm or miscarriage, and they _always_ sucked.

The other shocker for Jack was seeing that they were inside an arena that not only was rather small, but only half-filled. There had to be two thousand people at the most and with half the show gone, Jack hadn't heard much out of them at all. When he was around, they at least gave the other wrestlers a shot. Here, they seemed to be there for the sheer novelty of seeing a wrestling show and nothing more. Their cheers were complimentary and no more. When he was Ace, twenty-thousand people would scream the roof off the buildings. When Jack was running the show, they had sold out nothing but full-fledged stadiums week after week. Compared to that, the half-filled arenas seemed like small potatoes. Their cheers of politeness seemed paltry compared to then.

Nevertheless, this was how it had happened. Ace Valentine, the biggest start the sport had ever seen, was gone. Who cared about everyone else without him around? It was sad to think that he had so much influence on something, but he did. It must have been bad without him around, because he only recognized a handful of the wrestlers on there. They had left, most likely. Without Ace around, the money tree there was drying up and Aaron St. Claire was sinking his own ship with his own stupid ideas.

Then came the last surprise: Butch was still the champ. He came out for a title defense against two guys Jack hadn't ever seen before. They were, of course, big, tall, muscled hosses and Butch creamed them all. It wasn't even a contest, the boy simply took them to school. It was sad for Jack to think that these two jokers were the best St. Clair could scrape up against the likes of Butch.

Disgusted, Jack was glad when the show finally went off the air. He rolled his eyes and groaned out loud. It was just as well that Aaron St. Claire was going out of business. Jack had never liked him to begin with. He grabbed the telephone and dialed his home number.

"Dad? Wanna take care of that Jim Black problem tonight?"

XxXxXxX

Jack pulled into the small parking lot of the even smaller two story office building where Jim Black's small office was located. It wasn't hard to find and since it was in the part of town between the seedy neighborhoods and downtown, it was inexpensive enough not to have a security system. Jack and Kevin, both clad in black, jumped out and snuck to the door. Kevin took a couple bits of hardened wires and picked the locks, letting themselves in easily.

Shining their flashlights to see, they made their way to Room 219, which had a small sign: 'Jim Black, Private Investigator' on the front. That lock was jimmied just as easily. Jack went to the file cabinet. "I'll find my file."

"I got the computer." Kevin said. He turned the old monitor on and let it light up the small one room office. "Not even password protected." He shook his head. "For a PI, this guy's not very bright."

"Look at this." Jack said, shining his light on the calendar on Jim Black's wall. "The guy's got his vacation blacked out. He won't be back until Wednesday, so we're good."

"Get your file, Jack. Let's hurry up before a patrol car spots any lights."

"I thought that you had pull with the cops." Jack asked.

Kevin grimaced, "Well, not _all_ of them. Oh, he's got your file linked on the front page. That'll make it easier to delete. One click and...bingo! Ace Valentine no longer exists on Mr. Black's digital medium."

"Found it." Jack held up a thick manila folder and opened it on the cabinet, shining his lights on the file and he flipped through the pages. "Sweet mother of mercy, this guy has _everything_ on me. Birth certificate, copies of deeds to the land I own...an excuse note for my fourth grade English teacher telling her I was sick. You're right, this guy knows how to get things done. Let's see how he does when he has to start over from scratch."

"Jack, you are wearing gloves, right?" His father asked.

Jack snapped the bit of latex rubber on his hand in answer. He closed up the file and sighed. The specter of Ace Valentine was still haunting him. He hoped this was the best way to keep him away for good. Jack closed the cabinet and came over to his father, peering over his shoulder at the screen. "Anything else?"

"I was just erasing all traces of your file and all its contents. Now that he doesn't have any of the information on you, it's time to take Jim Black out of your hair for a little while." Kevin held up a floppy disk in his hands and cast a sly, cruel smile at Jack.

"What's that, Dad?"

"Something that no one wants to have the police find. All I have to do is create a new folder," He began uploading files, "Title it something subtle like 'My Babies' and...bingo. Mr. Jim Black is now the possessor of a few gigs of pornography featuring girls of "questionable age"."

"How's that going to hurt him?" Jack asked.

"It'll be pretty bad when the cops find it." Kevin said, logging onto the internet and pulling a slip of paper from his pocket. "And they'll find it, because Mr. Black is going to "accidentally" e-mail a few of these pictures to everyone in the mayor's office." Kevin attached several of the pictures to an email and marked their sending address to nearly everyone in the mayor's office. Jack cringed. "Dad, tell me you didn't track down kiddie porn for this."

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous. But the mayor's office isn't going to know that. All I have to do is type in a message. How about this. 'Check out these high school sweeties' and...there. Come Wednesday, Jim Black is going to have one heck of a problem on his hands." Kevin shut down the computer after sending the email and they locked up the office like they had found it. In less than ten minutes, they were back on their way home for sweet potato pie and turkey.

XxXxXxX

Thanksgiving dinner was just like it always had been: delicious and nap-inducing. Jack's mother served up a culinary feast unlike any before. She cooked for far more people, but because it was just Jack, Kevin, Dana Harris. Jack munched down on a heaping helping of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, and, of course, sweet potato pie served with some whipped cream on top and washed down with a tall glass of coke.

"Great meal, mom." Jack said, putting a bit of turkey between a dinner roll and dabbing it into some gravy. "You really outdid yourself this year, but you didn't have to make so much of it."

"Oh, I just wanted to make a lot extra so you could take some home with you. Share with your friends, you know?" She dabbed her lips with a napkin. "Have you made good friends out there?"

"A few." He answered. "Mary's a good reading buddy and I can always count on Cliff to help with the farm."

"Mary? Who is this Mary?" She asked, her maternal instincts kicking into high gear. "You know, Jack, it's be nice to be a grandmother before I'm fifty." His mother had married young, he knew. He was her only child, be it by fate or purpose he wasn't sure, but that didn't stop them from loving him.

"Mary's the librarian. She's writing her own novel." Jack said.

"Is she the only girl your interested in?"

"No, but...I don't know. I'm not sure about anything these days. Don't ask me about that, Mom, I feel like a teenager. Ask me about crops."

His father laughed, "Dana, how many times do I have to ask you to stop embarrassing the boy. How _are_ your crops coming?"

Jack dipped into the mashed potatoes. "As good as can be expected. You know, I got really lucky when I ran across Cliff, my farm hand. He knows more about farming than I do, so I've been learning from him for a while now. I got my crop growing down to a science. I can figure out what day they'll be ready by the day I plant them. You guys should come out, but not now. Come out next spring or something."

"Oh Jack, you know my allergies. If I go to the country in the spring time, I'll turn into a miserable old crow the whole spring."

Kevin laughed, "What's your excuse for the other three seasons?" The three of them laughed. She and Kevin always playfully ribbed each other, a sign of affection they had known since their earliest days.

All too quickly, Thanksgiving passed. They filled their bellies, settled into the living room for a football game, and napped the afternoon away. Jack woke up at sundown and bid his parents goodbye and snuck into his rental car. The deal now was that Jack would leave it and his father and mother would come a little bit later to reclaim it, when Jack phoned them. It was an inconvenient situation, but necessary to avoid people trailing Jack.

He drove back to his hotel room and collapsed onto the bed, sighing loudly as he did. Suddenly, the door flew open and Jack shot to his feet, ready to cold-cock whoever was stepping into his home.

The flash of long blonde hair caught him by surprise and he paused, looking again and the figure shut the door and stared at him. She had long, curvy legs, platnum blonde hair that shone almost white, sparkling blue eye, luscious full lips, and a figure that put 99 out of a hundred women to pure shame. She spied him and her eyes went wide. "Ace?"

Jack furrowed his brow. "Mira? What...what're you doing?"

Without another word, the stunning young woman charged him and pounced on him like a starving lion on a wounded antelope. She sank her lips savagely into his, moaning and whimpering as she kissed him. Jack, in all truth, flailed his arms, too busy trying to overcome the young woman who was ripping into him.

Finally, he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her apart. "Mira! What are you doing? How did you find me?"

"Oh Ace, I 'm so sorry." She said, her voice thick with her Russian accent. "I have been looking for you so hard for these long months. I thought...I thought that you might come to your parents for Thanksgiving, so I stayed there and followed you here. Oh Ace, I've missed you so much." She leaned down into him, kissing savagely, lips smacking loudly.

XxXxXxX

Eventually, Jack calmed her down enough to keep her sane and ordered some room service. Thanksgiving leftovers weren't very appetizing, but he and Mira made due with some turkey, stuffing, and champagne, a favorite of Mira's. They ate in style, talking softly now that her joy at finding him had subsided. She had taken her clothes off because, according to her, she hadn't changed in two days waiting for him. She lounged across the bed from him wearing only a silk robe. Jack tried to talk to her, instead of focusing on her ample assets.

"When you left, I was heart-broken." She said, her tone of voice subdued and sad. Jack could tell that she was quite upset. "You were the only reason I had ever stayed. You gave me so much. I only did what I could. Our little trysts were so very welcome, but not at all as much as you had done for me. You brought me fame, fortune, and livelihood in a time when I was traveling with five other girls and sharing a one bed motel room with so little space, I had to sleep in the bathtub. I searched for you, but I could never find you. Where have you been? When are you coming back?"

Jack sighed, staring into his champagne glass. "Mira, I'm not coming back."

She sat up, her face slack. "What are you meaning?"

"I mean, I quit. I'm through. I'm finished with...everything. What more could I have done?"

"Pardon me, Ace, but that's terribly selfish. What about so many of us who depended on you for our survival?"

"Hopefully, all of you were smart enough to milk _me_—the perpetual cash cow—long enough to last you for a good long time. You say I'm selfish? I gave a hundred percent of myself for six years not even taking a break when I was injured. I think I deserve a _little_ appreciation."

"You could still come back. You're Ace Valentine, you can do anything."

He nodded. Indeed, Ace Valentine could do anything. There was only one problem. "I'm not Ace Valentine, Mira. I'm Jack Harris and I don't want to be anyone else. I'm through with Ace." He felt a small pain on the side of his head when he said that.

Mira placed her champagne on the nightstand. "Well, I am not through with Ace. Alas, I cannot think right now. I need a shower."

Mira stood up and walked towards the bathroom door, her silk robe sliding off as she walked in, giving Jack only a bare glimpse of the sensual naked form he had admired many times before and was admiring all the more right now. Come to think of it, He needed a shower himself. He hopped into the bathroom, trying to remove his clothes as fast he possibly could.

XxXxXxX

It was three in the morning when Jack woke. He stretched silently and smiled serenely, feeling particularly well that night. He looked over to Mira, lying naked beside him, her sensuous form outlined by the comforter of the bed. He wanted nothing more than to do as she had wanted, as she had pleaded after it was all over. For the very last time, Jack had loved Mira, perhaps this once he had truly loved her because he lamented what he had to do.

He loved her in the shower...then in the bed...and again an hour later. Jack was so sore, his muscles aching from the sheer strain of it all, that he figured it would be next year before he was looking for a romp between the sheets. Ever had Mira been a generous lover, but her needs were more than what he was willing to give.

After it was all over, she had cuddled to him, purring and pawing at him and saying plans she had figured. They could live in Paris for a few years, try some modeling together, perhaps even return to the ring as a couple. She had it all figured out. Too bad she hadn't asked Jack if he wanted to take part in these plans.

Despite her extraordinary beauty, Mira had problems that Jack had never wanted to touch. That was why their relationship was purely physical in nature. He would never tell her as much, but he knew that she was, underneath her beauty: a gold-digging, selfish woman. She thought mostly of herself and what those around her could do for _her_ and often times it was her skills in the bed that had gotten her what she wanted from them. He had heard her on many occasions telling others that she would—for example—only marry a man who gave her a ten thousand dollar ring or drove the most expensive car and could afford to give her a two million dollar wedding like she wanted. Her theory was that if the man loved her, he'd be willing to do anything for her, spend any amount of money.

Even Jack, who had never really been in love before, knew how shallow that kind of thing was. In Flowerbud, there was a girl with pink hair who would do anything in the world for him and all he had to do was walk into her sight, a short Librarian who would was content to simply read a book next to him on the couch, and a Green eyed beauty with a smile that put Mira to shame. There was no comparison.

His path was clear. Mira was _not_ the girl for him. He felt terrible about doing what he had to do, but he had to do it. He had loved her as hard as he could, one last time. He looked at her, thinking of the things she had said, and suddenly felt the urge to spit on her. So beautiful, yet so shallow, a hollow person. She must have squandered her money. She had to. Why else did she need him? She had her chance at success and fame, but if she wasted it on the finest in life and expenses beyond count, then clearly she hadn't learned much since her days sleeping in bathtubs.

Jack's chest suddenly felt empty. He sat on the edge of his bed and put his head in his hands. He could still smell her sweet perfume lingering his skin. He wanted to take another shower, rinse her off of him, but he had to leave.

He reached over and found some paper and a pen, writing quickly on it as he spelled out his feelings and then left it on his pillow. He looked down at his bag and saw something. He lifted the small package, recognizing the polka-dotted design. It was Popuri's gift. He untied the knot and opened it. Slowly, he lifted the object up.

It was a hand-stitched red pillow in the shape of a heart. It was red with white lace on the edges. The words _'TRUE LOVE'_ were stitched lovingly in cursive and white thread. He turned the pillow over in his hand and frowned, his hallowed chest imploded like a neutron star and he wanted nothing more than to cry at that moment.

He looked over at Mira. That pillow was the difference between the kind of love Popuri had and the kind that Mira had. That pillow, at that moment, meant more to Jack that a harem of Miras willing to serve him for eternity.

He dressed quietly and left as silently as he could. He had nothing more to say to Mira and hoped his letter would explain everything to her:

"_Dear Mira,"_

"_By the time you read this, I'll be gone forever. Don't think I didn't enjoy what we had, but the truth is I can see your heart is as empty as your bank account. I can't live with that kind of emptiness. I hope that you learn in time what real love is and that our last night together left you with something you can remember forever. Sorry it has to be this way."_

"_Love, Jack"_

He had no idea how true his words were.

XxXxXxX

Driving through town in the middle of the night, Jack made a stop at an all night convenience store. There was still one last bit of business to take care of. He had to think smart. This guy would track the call, think he was headed out of town and try to guess the direction. He actually had to go an hour out of his way to make sure he was thrown off the trail.

He put a few coins into the payphone and dialed Aaron St. Claire's cell phone number.

He didn't answer, so Jack dialed it again. And again. And again. Finally, on the fiftieth ring or so, Aaron St. Claire answered_. "WHAT!? IT'S FOUR IN THE MORNING! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"_

"I know about Jim Black, Chief."

There was a pause at the other end, _"Ace? That you? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"_

"Shut up, St. Claire!" Jack shouted, "I took care of your hired investigator. Keep an eye on the news and see for yourself. Next time you send someone to hunt me down, I'll come to your office myself and kick your teeth from one end of this town to the other."

"Ace, we have to talk! I'm tankin', Ace. We need you back!"

"Listen...to...me! I...have...quit! I'm gone, Chief. I'm gone. I lost, okay! Live with it. I don't want to wrestle anymore. I don't want to act or sing or look pretty, I just want to live my life out in peace. So quit sending your goons to find me or next time, I can promise you won't like what I'll do when I find you!"

"_You threw that match, didn't you?!"_ St. Claire. said, _"You sorry son of a...YOU THREW THAT MATCH, DIDN'T YOU?"_

"Sorry, Chief, but times change. You gotta roll with the punches. I'm gone. Get used to it."

"_I'm not gonna let you get away with this, Ace. I'm gonna find you, you louse, and then I'm gonna make you pay for what you've done to me."_

"Hey, Chief...dummies say 'what?'."

A pause. _"What?"_

Jack smiled. "Night, Chief." He hung up the phone as a loud expletive erupted from the other end. He turned around and drove all the way to the ferry with a contented smile on his face.

The next morning, he took care of another bit of business. He'd finished Mary's novel and, so long as he was in town, he figured he ought to do something for Mary. He wrapped Mary's novel in a large envelope and mailed it to the editor who had published his auto-biography with a simple message: _"I found this unknown writer. See what you think and get back to me at this address. Enclosed is a little bonus for keeping the address to yourself. -Ace Valentine._

XxXxXxX

Jim Black yawned as he pulled into his office driveway. A late night of drinking had made him come in late, but he had work to do on the Valentine case, so he came in as early as he could. He pulled in and found his place swarmed by police cars. He stopped his car and got out, wondering. He approached the nearest officer. "Excuse me, what's going on?"

"Is this your office?"

"Yeah, I'm Jim Black. What's going on, was there a robbery?"

The officer grabbed Jim by the shoulder and spun him around. In two hand movements, Jim found himself handcuffed and being pushed towards a cruiser, being read his rights.

XxXxXxX

Jim Black was kicking the jail cell wall angrily when an officer opened the cell door. "Alright, you pedophile...your bail's made. Get your face out of my jail."

"I ain't no pedophile. I don't know how those got on it!" He cried. The officer raised his nightstick at Jim, making the slimy man hurry all that much faster. He left the station and into a rainy day. Marching down the steps, he found a black car waiting for him. "Get in!" A voice said from inside. Wasting no time, Jim threw himself in and sighed. He turned to see Aaron St. Claire in the driver's seat. "You made my bail?"

"I did." Aaron St. Claire began driving away. "I'm going to give you some extra cash. You need to get out of town, your face is all over the news. Apparently, you emailed some supposedly questionable porno pictures to the mayor's office."

"I didn't do that!" Jim slammed his hand against the car door. He ground his teeth angrily. "It's that Ace...and his old man, they're trying to mess with me!"

"I know." St. Claire said, "I got a phone call from Ace telling me he threw the match, that he'd taken care of you. I assume all this hoopla about underage girls on your computer is his doing. I need you to lay low for a while and then start looking for him again."

Jim sighed, settling his head against the window. "I don't know about this, St. Claire. I mean, this guy's good. I haven't been able to find anything. His grandfather's farm was my biggest hope and he's not there, apparently never will be. Plus, the cop's have my file on him."

Suddenly, a wad of hundred dollars bills landed on Jim's lap. He picked it up and looked at it. "That should do you through the end of the year." St. Claire said. "I want him found...I never lied about that."

Jim tucked the money away. It was actually less than he charged, but he didn't care. "Don't worry, St. Claire. I'm not off this case yet. He's taken my reputation, dragged me through mud and half the states looking for him. This Valentine jerk...he just made it personal for me. If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to find out where Ace Valentine is. And when I find him, I'm going to make him sorry for what he's done."

Aaron St. Claire nodded grimly. "_We'll_ make him sorry."


	26. Farewell, Innocence

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: "FAREWELL, INNOCENCE"**

It was getting harder and harder to say no to him. Everything within Mary screamed for her to give in, that little voice that warned her away from such close physical contact waning with each encounter. They were becoming more and more frequent, the visits. He'd climbed the small barrel on the back of the house and onto the low-lying roof of the back storage sheds, then come through her window.

They hadn't talked about it much when they were together, their heady encounters always a mixture of heated passion first in the form of kisses and embraces...lately, though, their hands were branching into more risqué areas than before. That wasn't entirely what troubled Mary. She knew what was going on. She hadn't been tainted by her romance novels enough to not see what was the truth: she was falling in love. She was falling in love with two men and one of them came to see her at nights when she was in her room.

She loved Jack so much, but Ace? Ace was a problem. She wasn't sure what to do about either of them, now that she knew better what was going on. She wanted nothing more than to help him, but how? What could she do? The two men in her life...one would eventually have to go and the other would doubtless be shattered.

She wasn't above a night of passion. She wanted it, craved it. It was like seeing her fantasies come true before her eyes and her nighttime visitor...well, he never failed to leave her wanting for more. She wasn't sure about what to do. This was different now, everything was changing so quickly. She wanted so badly to give in, but what would anyone else think?

To hell with them, she thought. She wasn't an innocent little girl. She was a woman, a full grown, twenty-three year old woman and just because she'd never indulged in these things before didn't mean she was keeping them at an arm's length. She deserved to be loved by someone and she'd waited a long time for someone to come. He felt for her, told her she was beautiful. That was all any woman could want, wasn't it?

And she adored him. So handsome, so sure of himself (any other time), so accepting of her hobbies. When he had entered her life, she hadn't seen it coming and now that he was here she didn't want him to leave. She had never been so sure of anything before in her life.

Lying awake at night, she waited, nervous. What was going to happen? Would this be one of the nights he came by? Sometimes, she would lie awake waiting for him.—sometimes he came, sometimes not. Sometimes she would watch him enter and then sometimes he would wake her with a kiss.

She waited. Finally, she fell asleep and woke in the morning. He hadn't come. She sighed and tossed herself over in her bed. She had so badly wanted to see him. Perhaps, tonight, she'd just go to his window for once.

XxXxXxX

Jack woke up near the end of Fall and it was cold outside. Not chilly or cool or pleasantly nippy, but downright cold. He shuddered in his less-than-adequately heated house and got up to prepare the fireplace, which heated his whole house. He kicked around some firewood, noting that his pile of wood was, well...small. He'd need some more. He cursed his luck that his arm was better now. If he'd thought ahead, he'd have ordered Cliff to cut some while he was still injured, make the little guy do all the work. As it was, he'd have to put a hand in chopping the wood. Some stumps near the meadow would be all he needed for a few weeks.

He waited in front of the fire until it got warmed up good, then went into the kitchen and made some hot grits for breakfast and some sunny side-up eggs. Cliff knocked on the door a few minutes into the cooking and came in. He shivered, "Brrr, it's cold outside."

"Better bundle up good, then." Jack said. Suddenly, Jack sniffled. He paused, moaning out loud.

Cliff sat down, "What's wrong?"

"I've got a sniffle." Jack said, "That means I'm going to get a cold. Man, that's all I need is to get sick. I hate being sick almost as much as I hate politicians. Sure you want some breakfast?"

"I haven't been sick in years, I'm not afraid." Cliff puffed his chest out proudly. "Bring it on."

Jack served their breakfast while getting dressed. He wrapped himself into a thick flannel shirt, then a jacket, donned a set of earmuffs and gloves, and some thick fur-lined boots. "We gotta chop some wood today, so we'll be headed out into woods. Gotta stop at the General Store for an axe, though, cause I only have one."

They ate, downing their meal with some milk and then topping it off with some hot chocolate, some of which Jack tucked into a thermos for the trip. After that, they set out into the cold of late fall in Flowerbud. The village was a mirage of browns and dull golds, the leaves falling down where they may. No one intended to bother the leaves all that much, since they'd be there come Spring.

Jack took a cursory glance at his sweet potatoes. They'd be done in a few days and he'd have sweet potato pie to last him through the whole winter. That was what he was looking forward to the most. He also wanted winter to be done with. Not that he hated it, but cold weather made him feel less than alive. In truth, he loved the snow and had heard it snowed quite a bit in winter in Flowerbud. He hoped so, because the last few years had been so hectic for him in terms of his old job that whenever he'd seen snow, he'd never been able to enjoy it at all.

Most of Fall had flown by. Jack hadn't bothered with any of the Festivals because they mostly involved animals he'd only had a short while. Bilbo and Belle were too small to enter, so he made a mental note to do so next year. If the letter his father had mailed him was any indication, the plan to ditch Jim Black had gone over well.

"_Dear Son,"_

"_Black's all over the news. Biggest scandal to hit Metro Heights since the pedophile fire chief in 89'. Trust me, of all the things he's doing these days, looking for you is not one of them. I'll keep my ear to the ground in case anyone starts looking for you. Good news, though...we've heard less and less of Ace Valentine lately. The frenzy seems to be dying down and people are starting accept that you're gone. Some news stations asked for our quotes on your whereabouts and we just told them that Ace is gone and gone for good. By the way, I didn't push it when you were here, but the subject of those girls seemed to make you nervous. I want to warn you not to try and work over any girls in the country. I'm not a dumb man, I'm aware of the kind of lifestyle you led when you were famous, so I can understand your mindset. But you're not famous anymore. Take it slow with a lady, trust your heart. That's how I found your mother. And don't try and overload your plate with more than one girl, it just leads to messiness."_

_PS: If you see Manna, tell her I said 'Joker's swinging harder than ever'. She'll know what it means."_

"_Love, Dad"_

Jack had folded the letter up and tucked it away in a shoebox. His father mailed letters from the city, so no one would rummage through his mail. He didn't get much mail at all anymore. Most of the people in town would just walk to the person they wanted to see. Not much easier than that. Of course, it helped when everything was so close.

They passed the Library in time to see Mary unlocking it. Jack skewed away from Cliff and approached her from behind. She was fumbling with the lock when he put his gloves over her eyes. "Guess who?" He said.

"No clue." She said with a smile, turning around. "Hey, Jack. In town today?"

He jabbed his thumb in the direction of town. "Gotta go get some supplies for makin' firewood with Spanky over there. Say, you wanna come over tonight?"

"I'd love to. Been thinkin' about you a lot lately." She opened the door and took a step inside.

Jack put his hands in his jacket pockets, lifting an eyebrow deviously, "Oh yeah? About what? Is it naughty? You know I like naughty stuff?"

Mary just laughed, "You're such a card. I'll be by about seven, okay? I want to hear what you thought about my book. You did finish it, didn't you?"

"I wouldn't even think of disappointing a lovely lady such as yourself. Seven it is. I'll bring the 'B'."

Mary giggled softly, "And I'll bring the 'LT'. Bye." She waved her little black mitten at him as she went inside and Jack returned to the sidewalk, where Cliff was waiting.

"She seems smitten with you." Cliff said.

"What girl isn't?" Jack said.

Cliff shook his head, "Man, you've got an ego, you know that?"

"I like to think I earned it." Jack replied. "Wasn't a girl in the village not throwing a look my way, even the ice princess, Elli. You should have seen the way she was checking me out when I took off my shirt in the Clinic for the first time."

Cliff stopped. "Jack, she was probably staring at your scars."

Jack stopped as well and turned to him, "My scars? Why would someone stare at my scars? They're just scars. Nobody else back in the business said anything."

"Well, probably because they've all seen you without your shirt on countless times by now. These folks don't know where you got them from. Besides, Elli hasn't said much of anything to you, has she? No? Because she's absolutely taken by Doc."

"I thought he was happily single." Jack said.

"Give them some time, that's ship's gonna sail." Cliff said. "But before you came along, every girl in this village had some sweetheart they were seeing."

"Like who?"

Cliff counted off on his fingers, "Let's see, if what Ann tells me is true...Karen and Rick used to be a real item until Rick took over the Poultry Farm. Popuri's eyes apparently were only for Kai. Get this one: Mary and Gray were the big talk for a few months, when he used to come by the Library more often. Apparently not since you came into town, though."

Jack waved his hand, "Gray's half-an-idiot...and that's the good half. I'm not worried about any of them. I could have any woman in the village if I want, no matter who it is or if they're taken."

Cliff laughed, "HA! I'd like to see you try and get Ann. She'd grab your sack and fling you like a rag doll." Cliff's face dropped when he saw the look on Jack's, "Er, not that I've seen her do that, mind you."

Jack just grinned, "I bet I _could_ steal Ann away."

"I'd be your free slave for life if you could manage that." Cliff said, laughing. Jack smiled, not laughing, and nodded to himself. Cliff walked away, still laughing, not aware of the look on his face.

Jack and Cliff entered the General Store to see Jeff manning the register. He regarded Jack with the same kind of friendliness a person would grant an anonymous human being who walked in to buy something. Jack brought the axe no trouble and they were on their way back through town.

They stopped by the Inn so Cliff could bring another jacket, since apparently he hadn't dressed as warm. As he dashed up the stairs, Ann came out of the back carrying a crate of glass mugs. Jack slammed his hands on the counter, "Bartender, I demand to see a beautiful woman when I drink."

Ann scoffed, "Ha! Fat chance of one around here. You'll just have to settle for me."

Jack smiled, that charming smile he put on for the female persuasion only. "I think you'll do just fine."

"If you like rude, crude, rough-and-tumble girls, be my guest." Ann said, putting the glasses up on the counter and taking them out into the shelved. "Sorry, Jack, but I'm just not a real lady."

Jack leaned up on the counter closer to her. She was turning with a glass when she spied him, the way he was looking at her, and paused. "You're more of a lady than you know, Ann." Jack said. "In fact, I'd say you're quite the lady."

She paused, thrown off for a moment. "That's...the first time anyone's ever called me that." She put the glass down slowly. "Not even Cliff calls me a lady. Just jokes around that I'm more of a man than he is."

"Well, that's certainly a rude thing for your boyfriend to say, isn't it? I know _I_ wouldn't say something like that to a lady like you."

Ann, strong, independent Ann, was completely off her guard. To hear Jack say those things, and hear that he actually meant them, put a blush on her face that she wasn't entirely comfortable with. All her bravado, her gusto, her in-your-face attitude suddenly vanished under Jack's increasingly attractive smile. She felt as if a shard of glass had suddenly been shoved between her third and fourth rib. "What...what would you say?" She asked.

Before Jack could answer, Cliff came bounding down the stairs. "Alright, let's go, Jack." He made for the door, without a second glance at Ann. "Bye Ann."

"See ya." She said, her enthusiasm getting sapped by Jack, who leaned back and followed Cliff slowly. He mouthed to her, _"Talk to me later."_ To her own surprise, she nodded back to him, her mind wandering as she watched them leave.

XxXxXxX

Jack was waiting at seven, BLTs ready, when Mary arrived just as she said she would. She came in shivering. Jack shut the door behind her, the cold air blowing into the house the longer it was open. Mary hugged herself and took her scarf off. "It's getting so cold lately. Isn't it cold?"

"Not in here." Jack said, the smugness of his voice almost immediate. Mary shivered again, but not from the cold. Ace had already made himself known, she could tell from the voice. She sat down, thinking fast. "How have you been, Ace?"

Jack would have jumped at hearing his professional name called like that. But he didn't jump. He only walked over and handed her the plate of food he had ready. He just shrugged, his smug smile in place. "Same old, same old. You know how is it, right? Well, I guess you don't."

Mary took the plate and ate graciously, but kept her guard up. What was she doing? She didn't know how to deal with this. This was something a professional should do. But who else would do this? No, there was a reason Ace had opened up to her. There was a reason. "I suppose not." She replied, "But I wanted to see you and, from the sound of your voice, you wanted to see me."

Jack nodded. The look in his eyes was like watching someone wearing a Jack Harris suit. He looked like Jack, but that was it. Everything else was different—body language, tone of voice, attitude. She had to be careful. She didn't want to break everything apart, even if being here put her heart in jeopardy.

"Yeah, guess you could say that. Care to guess why?" He asked.

Mary put aside her half eaten sandwich. "I think perhaps...you see that I'm noticing a...change in you." She looked in his eyes, "Is there anything you want to ask me, Ace?"

He sat back, his knees spread wide, his arms on the couch's long way. "I ain't dumb, see? I see what you see. Jack...he's nice and all, but he's in my way. He's holding me back and I don't like to be held back. People who hold me back get steamrolled. That's just the way it always has been. No one steps up to Ace, see?"

Mary nodded, "Why me? Why am I the one to talk with you?"

"You got smarts. I figure you might could find some middle ground for me and Jack."

Mary looked aside, dubious. "I'm not sure how to create any middle ground for you and Jack. What could I do for you?"

Jack just leaned forward, "Jack just wants a sweet lady. I'm not afraid of that, but my patience is only good for so long. Jack wants to beat around the bush, but me, I'm a little more...direct." His hand came out and cupped her chin, tilting her head up as his lowered to hers. "I got a little relief on my trip home last week, but I'm an animal of routine. I like a regular girl, one I can count on. Look, I know you've got it bad for Jack and I won't look down on you just because you look a little homely. All I want is some physical gratification and I'm happy. I already have the respect and admiration of everyone in this little town, so I'm more than set. It's just this one little thing."

Mary shivered, her skin raising on her arms.

"You see," He continued, "I think you're the only one I can count on, Mary. You know me by now, know what I'm all about. This one little thing is all I'm lookin' for. It's an itch and I _need_ it scratched. "

"Jack, I don't know if I'm ready yet."

Jack leaned down, "You certainly enjoy my kisses, don't you?"

Mary looked away, "Yes. I do. But what you're asking...that's something else."

"You're in your early twenties, Mary." Jack said, tracing around her cheek with his finger, "You're more than ready. I promise I'll be gentle. The first time may not always be the best for some girls, but I can make it memorable. Trust me, once you start, you won't want to stop. You go a few days and the urge'll hit you like a ton of bricks. But thankfully, I'm always ready for a go, so you don't have to worry. I _would_ say give me some warning first, but...the anticipation is almost half the excitement."

Mary closed her eyes, shuddering at Jack's touch. "Ace, you're asking a lot of me. It's a private thing, it's a heartfelt thing. I won't just lay down for anyone."

"I'm not just anyone, I'm Ace Fucking Valentine, Mary. You have no idea how much I want you, how much I _crave_ you. That first night you slept in my house, I saw you lying there in my bed. You looked like a perfect angel. I had to have you. There was no one else I could count on. Any other girl...they wouldn't understand me or what I've gone through. But you...you're different. That's why I want you—I _need_ you. If you could find it in your heart to cede that one little thing...I can give Jack back what he wants."

He leaned down and kissed her sweetly, much easier than that brutish kiss he'd gave last time. But the longer he kissed her, the deeper he went into the embrace. Mary let herself be kissed, because in part she wanted him herself. He was right, but she knew he was asking a heavy price for what he wanted—no matter if it was a 'small thing' to him. The other part of her was because she wanted to help him, but not this way. Or was this the only way to help him? Was it? She couldn't think. She couldn't breath. Jack was kissing her too fiercely, smothering her. She put her hands on his face and made a shrill noise through her sinus.

Jack backed away, breathing hard. "Sorry, I just...don't know...I want you so much, I..."

Mary held her hands up, "It's okay, Ace. It's okay." She straightened her glasses, which had fogged up badly. She wiped them with her thumb and then her forehead. She hadn't realized how long she had kissed him. She was sweating, her skin shining with dampness. It didn't help that Jack's house was warmer than normal. Jack noticed, "You look like you're hot. Why don't you...you could cool off better without that long sleeve blouse on."

"You wouldn't want me walking around naked, Ace." She said.

He leaned next to her ear, whispering, "Oh yes, I would."

Mary shivered again, looking away until he took her face and brought it near his. He spoke to her kindly. "Listen, you go home...think about it for a little while. I'll get back with you later."

Mary swallowed and nodded. "Okay." She said meekly. Without another word, she got up and left, taking a last glance at Jack as he blew her a kiss from his finger. She smiled only a bit and left, leaving Jack by himself.

Jack laughed, "Ace, my man, you are the absolute pinnacle of 'Just too much'." He settled into his chair and lay back, dreaming and thinking about Mary. She, he knew, would be the hardest girl to sway his way. He knew Karen was hot for him, but around her, Jack seemed to be more on guard. Ace wanted nothing more than to take her for a few romps between the sheets, but Jack kept standing in the way with his 'morals' and 'indecision'. He didn't care for Popuri. The little puppy dog could fawn over him if he liked, but he'd had enough of that kind of school-girl crush stuff when he was king of the world.

An hour after Mary had left, Jack heard a knock at the door. He smiled. Could that be Mary with an answer so fast? He leaped to his feet and tossed the door open.

"Ann?" He asked, surprised.

The girl stood at his door, her hands tucked into her back pockets as she looked at him, "Hey, Jack."

Jack—Ace—was more than a little stunned. His little charm work in the Inn had actually worked. Wait...of _course_ it had worked. He'd told Cliff it had worked and indeed it had. Ann was over at his house, looking unsure of herself. Who was he to be unkind. He stepped aside. "Well, come in, come in. Don't stand out in the cold like a big goof."

Suddenly, the calm Ann was gone and good old Ann came back. "I can take a little cold, Jack. I'm not a big baby, okay?"

"Are you?" Jack asked.

Ann took a step forward, but Jack held his ground, smiling, "I'm not afraid of you."

She held up her fist. "You should be."

"Give me a reason." He said, holding his arms out. "Give me a reason. Come on and bust a move!"

Ann charged him and tackled him on the gut, knocking him into the couch. He laughed, "Okay, okay! I give."

Ann stood back up and nodded curtly, "Tell _me_ I can't put the fear of Ann into a man. I'll tie your anatomy into knots if you dare me like that again."

Jack laughed as he shut the door, "Ooooh, testy, are we?"

She smiled back, "Just a little. That thing is on it's way...what do they call it?" She snapped her fingers, trying to recall.

Jack furrowed his brow. "What, your period?"

Ann clapped her hands, "That's it. Jeez, I forget about it each month. Every time it's on it's way I get cranky."

"What's your excuse for the rest of the month?" He asked.

"Ha! That was so funny, I forgot to laugh...excluding that first 'Ha', of course." She crossed her arms, looking around his home. "So...what's up?"

"You tell me. You're the one that came over." Jack replied.

Ann stopped in his living room. "Well, you invited me."

"I told you to talk to me later." He said, "That didn't necessarily mean come over to my home at night. Where's Cliff?"

"It's Friday, Jack. Cliff stays up there all night long and then goes right to bed afterwards."

"So, I guess that means Friday is the loneliest night for Ann, huh?" Jack asked.

Ann looked away, her persona slipping again. "I guess so. Yeah, that's about it."

Jack approached her. "Well, I guess you're not really missing out on anything, though. I mean, from what I heard this morning, it sounds like Cliff doesn't get you much."

"I guess...well..." She looked down, forgetting herself entirely, "I mean, he's sweet and all."

"Yeah, I bet he's nice and sweet when he's in the sack." Jack scoffed, "But let's face it, Cliff isn't exactly the epitome of intelligence or charisma."

"There's more to me and Cliff than charisma, Jack." Ann protested.

Jack put his hands on his hips, "Like what?"

She looked down, her eyes darting as she tried to think, but couldn't. "I...I guess he's...well, he's just a sweet guy."

Jack nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I bet he is. I wouldn't know, because he hardly even mentions you during the day. All day long it's 'My ex-girlfrined' this, and 'My high school sweetheart' that, as if he still wants her around. Of course, I can tell when you've been letting him sack up with you because he's all grins and can't help but mention it."

Ann looked up at Jack, her face a mask of confusion and worry. Did Cliff really think like that? Was Jack telling her the truth. "He's still a sweet guy, Jack. I've...I've never felt for anyone like I feel for him."

Jack just scoffed, "That's just the nookie attraction. Trust me, find someone better at it than him and you wouldn't think much about Cliff."

"How would I compare?" Ann asked. "He's my first."

Jack put his arm around Ann, pulling her closer to him as he asked, "Let me ask you a personal question. When you two are shacking up, how long is it from start to finish?"

Ann thought for a moment. "Twenty...thirty minutes...maybe."

"Does it feel good?" he asked.

Ann blushed, but nodded.

"Does it always feel like...just as you're starting to get into it, his game suddenly ends?"

Ann stared blankly, still blushing, but eventually nodded.

Jack leaned closer, "Well...imagine a guy who could go for...I don't know...a few hours."

"_Hours_?!" Ann gasped, her mouth open, "How in the...what guy could go for hours? Cliff said most guys don't go but about that long anyway."

"Maybe you should stop believing Cliff and make up your own mind. You're your own woman, Ann. I never lied about that. Has Cliff ever made you feel like a woman?"

"No...yes...I don't know." Ann said, flustered, looking away from him. "You're...stop making me...I can't..." She looked up into his eyes. Big mistake. Now that she looked up at his eyes, she could see the soft glow in them that wrapped around hers, enveloped her like a blanket. Her entire body seemed to flush, burned softly as she felt gazed upon for what she was: a woman. In a single flash, like the strike of a match, everything she was disappeared. No longer was she the rough-and-tough Ann who downed beers, but the scared little girl hiding in the cupboards, wishing someone would take the pain away. Every time she slipped into someone's arms, she lost all pretense of herself, she shut down. She looked up at Jack hungrily. He looked back at her with the same animalistic look in his eyes.

She wasn't even aware that Jack had kissed her until she was well within the kiss herself. She wasn't aware that her clothes were gone until Jack's hand rubbed up and down on her naked body.

But in the chill of the last week of Fall, she was very much aware that he making love to her, but her mind was so aflutter that she couldn't focus on a single thing. The only thing she could even grasp coherently was screaming his name.

XxXxXxX

Mary had fallen asleep, despite the fact that her heart was beating so very hard within her chest. Lying in a large t-shirt, she sighed and rolled over when a soft pushing on her lips woke her up. She inhaled sharply, returning the kiss sleepily, and opening her eyes. She looked to the clock.

_3:57 am._

He had finally come for her. She lifted her arms and pulled him onto the bed with her, losing herself in his gentle, sweet kisses. She didn't need her glasses to know it was him, she just knew. She ran her fingers through his silky hair, her hand over his soft, strong cheeks, over his back. He was cold, she could feel the bumps on his skin. He was only wearing a shirt and some long pajamas.

"You're cold." She said.

"I had to see you again." He said, "I can't...can't stop thinking about you. It's like...oh God, I don't know what to think anymore. I've never felt this way. All I want...I just want to be with you, Mary."

"Me either." Mary said. "I don't want to feel anything else but you." She pulled him closer. Her heart thudded so loudly it burned her ears. To be so close to him, to have him here, wanting nothing more than her touch. She couldn't stand it anymore. Mary felt the last of her inhibitions slip away and she took his hand and brought it down.

"Mary?" He asked softly, "What're you...what..."

She only kissed him in reply.

"Mary...are you sure...I mean, we...what if...I-I-I'm not sure about...about what it could mean for...for us." He was a little scared. Did he think that he could just come in like this, hold her, kiss her, whisper sweet things in her ear and then walk out? Maybe after that first kiss but not now...not now.

"I'm not scared." She whispered to him. "I wouldn't want it to be anyone else but you. The way you make me feel...no one makes me feel this way. You make me feel...beautiful. Like a woman." That was how she wanted to be seen, how she wanted to be held, regarded, thought of. Not Mary the inquisitive Librarian schoolgirl, but Mary the beautiful woman. That was how she felt in his arms. Nothing else matter.

Slowly, his hand went under her shirt and lifted it up. She moved with him, helping him undo all that she had standing between her and him until not even oxygen was between their skin. Mary wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his gentle touch on her. "Be gentle." She asked.

Her mind became awash with a thousand emotions. Whatever she felt beforehand was nothing compared to what she felt in his arms as he willingly and passionately made love to her: she felt the cold chill of the Fall air seeping in through the crack in the window, cooling her burning, hot skin; the sudden sting of losing her maidenhood, biting into his shoulder hard until the pain seeped away, cradling his head as he breathed heavy, kissing him gently on the lips, the distant shame she felt at not waiting, even though she had willingly submitted to him, dread that she would be caught at any moment by her parents, as if she were still some young girl, loving the feeling of living forever in a single, glorious bout of passion, moaning into her pillow until at last the two of them were spent and he lay at her side, curled against her tiny form, their bodies covered in a sheen of sweat.

She could hear his breathing, heavy against her form, slowly to a steady pace. His whispered was like a summer wind against her ear, "I...I love you, Mary."

Mary cradled his hand in hers, smiling. "I know. I love you, too." She just wished she really meant it. How could she love him and another at once? She couldn't? Now she had chosen and she had no choice. She was already involved between the two and there was no pulling back now.

She bid farewell to her innocence. She was a woman now. She suddenly understood why her romance novels were so wordy. No amount of words could possibly accurately describe what it felt like to be in the arms of a man like him. To fall in love...well, that was another matter entirely. The spoken word could never describe it all at once, though 'love' came close. She understood now why everyone strove towards that unavoidable goal of a significant other.

But was he her significant other...or...

She shook her head. She'd have to think about it, but not now. Not after such a glorious evening, so perfect. Some women waited their entire lives for moments like this and never got them. Mary wasn't about to ruin it with her thinking. For once, she wanted to just _not_ think about something.

So she held him, kissed his brow, stroked him, never wanting that inevitable moment when he had to leave. From the moment he left her sight, she longed for him. But she went to sleep, content in herself.

He'd be back.


	27. Home Remedies

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: "HOME REMEDIES"**

Whatever pleasure Jack had derived from Ann, it had vanished within days and the lingering memory of it was haunting him. Sitting on his couch, Jack stared at his tv, watching the weather channel listlessly, unable to tear his mind away from the encounter. He could still see Ann sprawled underneath him, biting her knuckles, but if that was some kind of intimate thought, he wasn't entirely sure if it was a good one.

He wasn't sure what to think. He had slept with his friend's girlfriend. His friend's _girlfriend_. He'd slept with _ANN!_ Maybe it was because he just couldn't get past that one comment Cliff had told him, that there was no way Jack could have swayed Ann away from him. Obviously, he could, but he wasn't entirely sure what that meant. Cliff was right, though. Underneath Ann's rough exterior was a softer, tender person inside.

He sighed, wiping his face with his hands. What was wrong with him? He felt like an entirely different person than when he first came here. He felt like an...animal. Like he was ready to pounce on anyone for anything. He felt down. But most of all, he felt more like he'd murdered someone. What did Ann think of him?

That echoing nag at the back of his head barked at him, _"Who cares what she thinks? It's not like she put up much of a fight anyway."_

"I'm not a bad person." Jack muttered to himself.

"_Who said you were? What's wrong with taking advantage of a willing young woman? She wanted it and I gave it to her, what's the problem here?"_

Jack was suddenly very aware of just how clear and coherent that little voice was, like a separate person talking to him. It reminded him of the separate voices of Gollum and Smeagol, how there was a bad side and a (for a short time) good side. But if that were the case, then who was doing the talking? Who was in control?

Jack's head split with pain, like a bad migraine hitting him all at once. He got up and made his way for the bathroom, where he opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed some headache medicine. When she shut the mirror, he looked up and jumped as the reflection in the mirror wasn't him...at least not entirely. Instead of the short haired, clean-shaven Jack, he saw the long haired, goateed Ace Valentine staring back at him.

Jack jumped backwards and when he looked again, he saw his own face staring at him again. He swallowed hard and quickly took his pain pills, heading outside and not wanting to see any mirrors or reflections. He opened his mailbox and pulled out an unmarked envelope. He groaned.

This time, it wasn't his mysterious friend,

"_Dear Jack,"_

"_I want to talk to you. I'll be over tonight.. Cliff's going night fishing with Zack. He's going to invite you, but don't' go."_

"_Ann"_

Jack crumpled the note up and tossed it away just as Cliff came bounding up to him with a smile on his face. "Good morning, champ! Don't you just love this brisk fall weather?"

Jack looked at Cliff, feeling more like he'd murdered the young man's mother. Cliff didn't know, obviously. What man could act so cheerful to the man who had slept with his girlfriend. "Uh...yeah." Jack said. "Nice and cold."

Cliff just took a deep breath and let it out with a satisfying "Aaaah! I love the Fall. Winter, too. My favorite seasons. Spring's nice, but it makes my allergies act up and Summer's just too hot, but Fall and Winter are perfect!"

"You're awfully chipper today." Jack noted.

"Ah well, life's been good to me." Cliff said with a shrug, "And yes, before you start asking personal questions, my girlfriend and I were very close recently. Just this morning, in fact." Cliff put a finger to his chin, "And...the other night, as well. Come to think of it, she's been very physical lately. Lately, it's like she's gotten a double-dose of the snuggles, if you know what I mean. Like she can't get enough of me, know what I mean?"

"I guess." Jack shrugged.

"Jack, are you okay? You seem to be in the dumps today." He put his hands on his hips, laughing, "I bet it's Popuri. You've been thinking about her lately, haven't you? Well, let me tell you something, and this didn't come from me." He leaned close. "You know Ann and Popuri are close friends, right? Listen, Ann says that Popuri has it _bad_ for you."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Someone call Dan Rather, this is headline stuff."

"What?" Cliff shrugged, "I thought you'd want to know."

Jack spun on him, "News flash, genius! Girls have been fawning over me since the day I was born. This isn't news to me, I _know_ Popuri's got her little schoolgirl crush. So does Mary...and Karen, as well. I'm not blind, Cliff. I can see for myself that females tend to drift in my way more often than not."

Cliff bit his lip. "I...I was just trying to be helpful, Jack."

"Well, you're not, so shut your pie-hole, Sparky."

Cliff stepped back. "Jack, what the...what's wrong with you? You know, it'd be nice if you'd call me by my name once in a while."

Jack shook his head, walking off. "Go home, fido. I don't feel like work today."

"Well...fine, then." Cliff said. "I was going to invite you with me and Cliff to go fishing tonight, but never you mind. Maybe you'll be happier when I come back tomorrow." With that, Cliff left Jack all by himself on his farm. Jack went about his chores mindlessly, feeding his Lord of the Rings chicken coop and going about and picking his sweet potatoes.

He had just finished piling them into his cupboards and was going to see to Belle when May came waddling up to him in a jacket so thick, she could barely lower her arms. "Hi, Mr. Jack." She said.

Jack looked down at her, as if he didn't know what to think of a five year old child. "Hey, kid."

She tilted her head, "Mr. Jack, you look sad."

He sat down on the ground, cross-legged. "I _am_ sad, kid. I don't think today would be a good day to come visit, so you might want to go home."

May looked at him strangely, then waddle over and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Grandpa says when you get sad, the best thing is a hug and a kiss from someone who loves you. Don't be sad, Mr. Jack."

Jack felt like someone was slipping a glass shard into his chest. He put one of his big arms around the girl and hugged her back. "Somehow, I don't think even that will cheer me up."

May looked at him, then smiled, "Well, if that won't do it, I'll just have to kiss you until you _do_ get happy." She started pecking him on the cheeks rapidly and he tried to move his head to avoid her.

"Hey, cut that out. Stop, I don't...I don't wanna be kissed!" He said.

"Well!" A voice suddenly said, "I can see _I'm_ not needed."

Jack spun to see Popuri standing behind him, her hands holding a deep dish. She looked at him with a sweet smile on her face. "Aren't you two the cute couple."

"Hi, Popuri!" May cried, jumping from Jack's lap and running to Popuri, hugging her leg.

Jack stood up. "Poe, what're you doing here?"

"I brought you a dish. Some of mother's homemade apple pie, fresh from the oven." She looked at him. "Jack, what's wrong? You look...sad."

"I don't feel well." Jack said, sniffling when he spoke. That small sniffle was getting to be a real bother. Any day now that cold was going to break out on him, he just knew it. "I'm getting sick, so I don't want you girls getting anything from me."

Popuri just scoffed, "Hmph! Well, if you think I'm going to catch something from a mere sniffle, you're sadly mistaken. Maybe you should have some of Momma's chicken soup. It knocks the wind out of a cold something fierce."

"I'll be alright." Jack said, "By my estimate, it'll hit me fully tomorrow and I'll just take a few days to get over it. But for now, you guys can come in and we can share some hot apple pie."

"Oh Jack, I really should get back before I'm missed." Popuri said, but Jack took her by the hands an led her, laughing, into the kitchen where they cut slices of apple pie and divided it into the slices which May, Popuri, and Jack downed eagerly.

When they finished, Jack took them outside and the three of them spent the rest of the day together. Jack let May ride Bilbo, although with his supervision and standing right next to her just in case. He let Popuri brush Belle and she was good at it. Belle seemed to like her, mooing happily as she was brushed.

They tossed a Frisbee back and forth with Frodo barking and chasing it. Jack and May wrestled in the field, getting dirty and not even caring, though Jack kept a suspicious glance out for any and all signs of gophers. Dusk was coming and Jack knew that Ann was going to arrive at any time. "I think it's time you two scamps went home." He said, "But thank you for such a fun day. I really...kinda needed it."

Popuri smiled and turned her head. Jack happily leaned down, but turned her head and kissed her soundly on the lips. "I'm always glad to see you, Poe." He said.

Popuri blushed ten shades of pink. "Oh Jack...Me...I am...me too."

May tugged on his coat. "Don't I get one?"

Jack lifted her into the air and gave her a big smooch on the cheek. Popuri leaned over and gave her one as well. "Go on home to gramps, you little scamp." Jack said. He turned to Popuri. "You too, Poe. I got some business tonight."

She took his hand affectionately, "Jack, I really had fun today. I wish I could be over here every day. Spending time with you is like...nothing's wrong with the world." Popuri looked up and gasped, seeing Jack with tears rolling down his cheeks. "Jack?"

"I'm sorry, Poe. I'm just...I'm so sorry. Please, go home, okay?"

"Jack?" Popuri asked, but Jack had turned and was walking towards his house. She folded her hands in front of her, looking worried, but he had already walked into his house. Popuri lowered her eyes, "Jack...what did I do?"

XxXxXxX

Jack walked into the house and sat down. "What's wrong with me?" He asked himself, cradling his head in his hands. "Why am I like this?"

"_Stop your blubbering, you crybaby! Man up!"_

Jack lifted his head angrily, a cold glare growing in his eyes. "You...shut up!"

"_No one shuts me up."_

Jack got up out of his chair and strode into the bathroom. He stared into the mirror, Ace Valentine glaring back at him. "I knew it! I just can't drop being Ace, can I? I just can't stop being the Main Event!"

"_Of course, you can't!" _Ace cried back, _"Everything you were: rich, powerful, in charge, above everyone else...it's all what we were, Jack! You can't just put that aside after six years!"_

"I don't want it anymore!"

"_To hell with what you want! What you want is some pussified life with roses and candy and pinkie back there rubbing your shoulders after a hard day of work. Sorry, Jacko, but I need a little something extra in my life."_

"It's _not_ your life!" Jack cried. "It's _my_ life!"

Ace reared back and suddenly a fist crashed through the mirror and struck Jack in the face, knocking him backwards. Jack felt the glass shards cutting his face, the small particles falling into his eyes, cutting the soft tissues, blood pouring across his face, screaming in agony.

He opened his eyes and found himself on the bathroom floor. Looking up, he saw the mirror was untouched and his face was fine, though he could still feel the glass as if it'd cut him for real. His cheek, where Ace had punched him, was sore to touch.

"_We haven't even begun to see what kind of pain I can put you through."_

Jack got up and ran into his house, panicked. He looked around as if there was something, anything, that could deliver him from this. His eyes fell to the bookshelf and there, besides his copies of fantasy novels, was the hard backed bible that had belonged to his grandfather. He swallowed and walked forward, grasping it.

"_Put that down!"_

Jack ignored the voice and sat down, opening the bible to a random page and simply read. He read long and until his mind seemed to clear, letting the words sink in and taking into account all that he had read. He had turned straight to the beginning of the beginning of Christ's ministry, where he had met John the Baptist.

Jack was never a religious person. He believed in God, but that was usually when he wanted a title win. He felt selfish now, realizing that he had only talked to God when _he_ had needed him. He remembered Andy Morelli, a tall, strong Italian fellow from the mean streets of Brooklyn. Whatever stereotypes about people from New York Jack may have heard, Andy was, hands down, the nicest guy in the world. Jack had always thought the guy was a bit of a bible-thumper, trying to fill his heads with thoughts of God when, at the time, his heads was filled with thoughts of money, women, and how to get more of both.

Still, despite a measure of contempt Jack had for the man, he knew Andy was always nice to him and went out of his way to help Jack. Jack liked traveling with him, because the guy wasn't like the other boys in the locker room , who were always wanting to head for the strip joint and blow their hard-earned cash on some nameless pair of boobs. Plus, he felt like when he was traveling with him, he was getting on God's good side by association. In retrospect, that was ridiculous, but that's how his mind worked then.

Jack had once lost a match, a very important match. In fact, it was the first time he lost his AWF championship. He had moped about it and when he'd seen Andy he asked him, "Andy, how come things like this happen to good people like me?"

Andy's lifted his eyebrow. "Did you ever think to just ask?"

"Why should I ask?"

Andy's reply had burned itself into Jack's mind, "Do you think God should talk to someone who ignores him entirely?"

That reverberated in Jack's mind. So what did that mean? Did that mean pray the Lord's prayer five time or build a rosary? Jack was never Catholic and had never understood the Catholic faith. Seemed to him that if God was going to forgive you your sins, why would you have to ask a man in a booth to forgive you? That middleman aspect always confused him. Now he seemed to understand. He had to talk to God and it was just one-on-one, him at the Lord. Did he have to go to the church for this?

Likely not. Wasn't the guy everywhere? Jack just got up and walked outside. He didn't want to talk to his ceiling fan. He wanted to look God right in the eyes. He had things he needed to say. He marched in silence down the mountain path, marching up Mother's Hill. All the while, Ace nagged at the back of his mind.

"_There are no answers that way, Jack. You and me, we're two of the same. You can't think you can just get rid of me and be done with it! You can push me aside and lock me down, but I'll never be gone for good. You get rid of me and you're getting rid of a part of you that's bigger than you realize."_

Jack marched in silence over the long, suspended bridge.

"_I changed your life, Jack. We shook up the world. Muhammad Ali. Martin Luther King Jr. Alexander the Great. Elvis Presley. The Beatles. Babe Ruth. They all had a bit of me in them. They changed the world, saw it though a different light and took the bold steps no one else dared tread on. The name of Ace Valentine is part of those kinds of legacies. You can't take that away. We changed the world, we shook it to it's very foundations!"_

Jack marched up and stood at the peak of Mother's Hill, looking into the sky. "God. If it's alright with you, I'd like to be at peace with myself."

"_I won't be gone, Jack! Not by a long shot!"_

"Please forgive me for what I've done and help me to undo the damage I've done. Whatever troubles I incur, I take them willing."

"_My name is Ace Valentine!"_

"Help me, God. Please, help me."

"_A name that will live in INFAMY!"_

"I'm sorry for what I've done. Please don't let Ace take everything from me. Please, God...help me."

Jack stood for several minutes until he realized that Ace was silent. He sighed loudly, his chest feeling as though a ten ton weight had been taken off it. He looked into the silent night sky and smiled, "Thanks."

XxXxXxX

Jack got back to his home just as Ann was walking onto his farm. She spied him and the look that was on his face. "What're you smiling about?"

"Just taking care of some personal business. Come on inside, Ann."

She did and as soon as the door was shut, Ann was on guard, watching him. "Listen, Jack...don't think for a second that I appreciated what we did together."

Jack held up his hands. "I know. I...you're too good a person for what happened, Ann."

"Don't try the sweet talk, Jack. You caught me by surprise, okay? I admit I'm...a bit of a sucker for the kind of sweet talking you did to me, but I'm over it now. I don't want to be sweet talked. I don't want anything from you anymore. What we did together I will forever regret in my heart."

"Me too."

Ann's eyes shot open. She shuffled on her feet, caught off guard. "Wh...what?"

Jack nodded, "Ann, I won't say that in some world, somewhere, you and I couldn't have been something. In truth, I think you're a great girl—a woman, like I said. But the thing is you're someone else's woman and what we did was wrong. I blame myself, because I've always been like this. I've always hounded girls and it's a habit I've found hard to break. But I think I'm over it now and I really regret what we did together. I can only hope that in the future you won't think too badly of me for it."

"I can only hope that Cliff doesn't kill you." Ann said.

Jack frowned, "What do you mean?"

Ann crossed her arms. "What I mean is that I'm not going to keep something like this from him. Jack, Cliff is too sweet a guy to have something like this kept from him. You said some things that sounded true. Cliff doesn't treat me like you were treating me, but it only bothered me at the time. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense that he doesn't know the...the me that's on the inside. You saw her, even just a little bit." She held her hand to her heart. "But that inside Ann is totally in love with Cliff because of who he is. Here, sit down."

They sat on the couch next to each other, Ann folding her arms in front of her. "Jack, the Ann you see every day...I _have_ to be her. I _have_ to be so open and happy because the truth of everything is that my life is a really tragic thing to relive and it weights on me every day."

"Like that crack about your mom?"

Ann nodded, "She was a drunk and she whipped me with an extension cord...or a length of barb wire. Sometimes she'd roll a small chain around her fist and punch me under my hind end, bruise me for weeks. Dad didn't see it and I was afraid that if I said anything, it would mean we wouldn't be a family. But when I...when mom died, it was the best thing that ever happened. Jack, my life was nothing but pain and heartbreak for so long. I just got tired of being so miserable. I decided to just...cheer up. Mentally, I mean. I already told all this to Cliff, cause he's the special guy in my life. But you...well, we shared something special, too. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not going to do something like this to Cliff. He deserves to know the truth..." She hung her head, "Even if it means he leaves me. I won't lie to him."

Jack nodded, "Cliff...he won't be very happy with me. Maybe I should be with you when you tell him."

"No, I'll tell him. You'd better be here and have a bat nearby or something. Jack, promise me you won't hurt him if he comes after you."

Jack looked away, wondering. He'd had men angry at him before—for a lot of reasons, mind you—and a female was occasionally one of them. But Cliff was different. Cliff was more than just some random stranger, he was Jack's...friend. Jack couldn't claim a lot of friends, but Cliff had been his at least for a time. What kind of a friend was he?

"Jack...I hope you don't think I'm some kind of slut." She said, "I've never even thought about this kind of thing until you and Cliff came along. In fact...when you first came to the village, I kept looking forward to seeing you at the Inn. Just seeing you was the highlight of my day. But I really didn't know much about guys, so I wasn't sure how to approach you. Of course, by then you'd already gone to the Harvest Festival with Popuri. Not only will this hurt Cliff, but if it got back to Popuri...she'd never forgive either of us."

Jack nodded. He recalled what Cliff had told him. Popuri was smitten with him. He didn't need someone to tell him that, it was all very much obvious just by looking into her eyes. Still, Jack didn't mention Karen or Mary. He hadn't figured them out...he hadn't figured _anything_ out.

"Ann, I don't think you're a slut. These things...well, they happen sometimes. In another world, another time, I _could_ see us together. But don't tell anyone that. Right now, I wouldn't jeopardize the friendship we have. I know we can't ever undo what we've done, but keeping you as a friend would be a start."

Ann nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek. She sniffled and wiped it away. "Hey, after I tell Cliff, you may be the only friend I have." Jack reached over and hugged Ann. He hoped Cliff wouldn't come at him with a gun.

XxXxXxX

It was after midnight when Ann finally heard Cliff climb up the stairs silently. She was glad that her dad was gone from the Inn for the night. He was at Gotz's for a late night round of poker with Gotz, Duke, and Saibara, the old gruff guys of the village that wanted to be just them and reminisce about the good old days. She had a terrible feeling in her heart.

She remembered what Popuri had told her: "Just ask God for help when it feels like you're in over your head."

Ann closed her eyes. "God, it's me. I know you're not happy to see me, but there's nothing I'd really like more than to keep Cliff. I know I asked for a new mom after what happened...happened, but this is more important. Think you could...you know, do something really good for me? I promise not to get into dad's vodka cabinet. Please?"

She heard the door open and sat up. "Cliff."

He turned the lights on, looking around. His hands were full of tackle, poles, and he wore a fisherman's cap with flies in the brim. "Ann? What're you doing up so late?" He set his things down and came over, "You look upset?"

"I am, Cliff." She said, taking his hands, "Baby, I need you to sit down, we have to talk."

Cliff cast a confused look, but nodded and sat, "Okay. What's up?"

Ann opened her mouth, working it up and down to try and find the words. "Baby, I...I gotta tell you somethin'. I did something. Something really bad. To you, that is, and I know if I tell you, you're going to hate me forever. But that's okay, because I'm prepared for it. I'm...I'm ready if you never want to see me again."

Cliff only looked at her in confusion.

"Baby, when I first met you, I thought you were just a little bit of eye candy. But after we got to be friends..."

Cliff smiled, "You mean when you started riding me like a pony?"

Ann laughed, then snapped, "Shut up, I'm trying to be serious! Cliff, I..." She looked him in his eyes, "I really, honest to God love you, baby. I know I never say it, but I feel it in my heart. You mean the world to me. That's why this hurts me so much and I know you're going to hate me for it and I hate myself for even doing this to you. Cliff, I—"

Suddenly, Cliff's hand was over her mouth. He looked at her in wonder, "Ann, you're crying."

She swallowed, knowing full well that hot tears were rolling down her cheeks. "Cliff, be serious."

Cliff just smiled, "A beautiful girl like you shouldn't have to cry. You're too pretty for that. Besides, haven't you had enough tears to last you a lifetime?" He moved next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

Ann sobbed suddenly, her heart twisting inside her. "Cliff, you have to hear this. I've done something terrible!"

Cliff backed away, looking into her eyes calmly. "Ann, you're really hurting because of this, aren't you?"

"Cliff, it's killing me!" Ann cried. "I hate myself for even doing it!"

"Then why would you want to suffer more by telling me?"

"Because you deserve to hear it. Because I won't keep something like this from you!"

Cliff just smiled that sweetheart smile he gave only to her, "Do you love me? Really?"

"Of course, I love you."

"And this thing you did...it's tearing you up something fierce? I take it you won't do it again?"

"What kind of a person would I be if I did it again?" She cried, wiping her eyes, "I'm already a terrible person for doing it in the first place."

Cliff just hugged her, "Then as far as I'm concerned, you look like you've learned your lesson. I don't need to know what you did. It's nice that you want to be honest with me, but this thing...it's hurting you so much. I know it'd hurt me and I should know what it is, but Ann, my only concern in this life is you. If you're sorry—and I can see that you truly are—then I forgive you for whatever it is. Just know that I love you with all my heart and nothing you tell me will take that away from me." He then whispered in her ear, "But just to be sure...don't tell me anyway. Much as I love you, testing it wouldn't be fun, would it?"

When he said this, Ann exploded into tears, blubbering and crying into his shoulder as she held him. Cliff just held her, patting her back. He wondered to himself, despite his words. What could she have done that was so terrible?

She slept with someone. That had to be it. Only something on that kind of scale could make her break down like this. He figured it had to be someone he knew, so it could have been Gray, Rick, Jack, Harris...who knew? Probably Jack, considering what Cliff knew about him. His heart exploded in a nova of pure rage and Cliff entertained the thought of destroying Jack in a fury of homicidal glee.

He squashed that thought. Jack was a fighting machine. The very thought that he could march onto Jack's farm and—enraged though he might be—try to fight Jack was ludicrous. Jack would bend him into pretzel-like shapes no matter how hot-headed he got. Much as Cliff thought it would be nice and dramatic and, to him, the right thing to do, he figured Jack was just being Jack.

"_But why my girlfriend?" _He thought, _"Of all the girls in the world, why did he have to try and take mine? Because he's Ace Valentine, that's why. He can't stand not having any sort of control of something. He's done it before. I heard too many people tell me that—including Kai—not to believe Jack wouldn't stoop to that level and take away something that was in my grasp—namely Ann."_

He looked down and saw that Ann was still crying and very hard. "Annie," That was his pet named for her, just as Baby was her name for him, "Annie, what's wrong?"

"I don't deserve you, Cliff." She cried, "I don't deserve a guy like you. You don't deserve a no-good girl like me."

"Hey, hey, it's okay." He said, speaking softly to her, kissing her forehead. "We'll be okay. Look, everybody makes mistakes. It happens. We're all only human. When we're at our lowest...well, that's when things can look up. Just before Jack found me on the way to Flowerbud, I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken car and broken dreams. Now look at me: working the earth and with a good woman at my side. I may never be the world's greatest professional wrestler, like I'd wanted, but I'm the world's luckiest guy because I've got you and that's all I need. I guess you weren't expecting to get saddled with a guy like me, huh?"

Ann wiped her eyes, her crying subsided, "Cliff...you're the best thing that's ever happened to me...besides my mother drowning."

"Hey, I just know what I know: I love ya, Ann. No matter what. Glad you thought to tell me, but I forgive you anyway. You'll always be my—"

Ann jumped up, her eyes widened, "Don't say it!"

Cliff smiled, "Ann, you're always going to be my—"

She tackled him, her hands trying to cover his mouth, giggling like crazy, "No! I am NOT!"

"My little chipmunk!" Cliff cried, "Come on, you sound like one when we're intimate, you have to admit!"

"I do _NOT_ squeak like a chipmunk!" She laughed, wrestling with him. The two of them rolled around on her bed, laughing , hearts swelling, their tears and pain forgotten entirely. Eventually, Cliff managed to roll her over on her back and, laughter dying slowly, he leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Cliff, you are the most amazing man I've ever known." She said.

"And you're the most unbelievably beautiful girl...no, you're not a girl...you're a woman. A real lady, you know that?"

Ann's face softened, "Oh Cliff. You sweet little...call me a lady, Cliff. Treat me like one. Show me how it feels to be a lady." She sighed, feelings his tender lips on her skin as he showed her that he meant what he said. He truly forgave her and although he might not have been the kind of lover Jack had insisted he was, Ann loved him all the more because she could see that his heart was filled with nothing but thoughts of her. Her night with Jack was a fleeting moment of passion, easily forgotten and forever damaging, but Cliff—her sweet, loving Cliff—didn't even want to hear of it.

She only wished her mother were alive so she could rub it in her face.

XxXxXxX

Jack waited for the expected explosion from Cliff, but it never came. He tried to stay awake at night, figuring the young man would charge onto his farm and try to kill him in his sleep, but he woke up the next morning and—surprise!—his cold had finally come through full bore. His nose ran, was pink, his head felt stuffy, and he was coughing. Could he predict the future or what?

A knock came at the door and Cliff walked in. From the expectant look on Jack's face, Cliff knew his assumptions were right. He shoved the expectant hate at the back of his heart and smiled, "Morning, Jack."

Jack looked at him in wonder. "Hey...dude."

"Aren't you getting up? Or do we have no work for today?" Cliff came in; Jack tensed, readying himself as best he could.

"Er...are you okay?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, why?" Cliff asked, cocking an eyebrow, "Oh, I bet Popuri told you. Ann's been pretty distraught the past week and last night she said she had something to tell me."

"Did she tell you?" Jack asked, getting ready to defend himself.

Cliff just shook his head. "Nope. I didn't let her. I love her enough that I just forgave her for it. She was in a bad way when she was trying to tell me, so I figured she'd apparently suffered enough. Better to just let it be, Jack. True love conquers all and there's nothing in here," He tapped his chest, "But love for that young lady."

Jack felt his brain somehow explode. He touched his head to make sure it was still in one whole piece. Cliff just looked at him smugly, that smarmy bright smile that almost made Jack sick had he not bee completely relieved that Cliff hadn't heard the awful truth.

"Oh. Yeah, Popuri told me." Jack said, lying through his teeth, "Figured you'd be angry or something."

Cliff shrugged, "What can I say. Forgiveness is a divine power, Jack. Sometimes, that's all it takes."

Jack slumped into his chair, relieved as if he had somehow dodged the death penalty, even though he could likely toss Cliff around like a rag doll. "Spanky...you're a better man than I ever will be."

Cliff smiled knowingly. "I know, Jack. I know."

"Well," Jack took a deep breath, anxious to change the subject, "To answer your question, I don't think I'll be working at all. I've got a cold, so I'm staying indoors for the next few days. But I'll give you a little extra this week so long as you make sure the animals are fed. Make sure Bilbo gets some exercise, too. I'll be back on Monday, I hope."

Cliff nodded, "Will do, boss." He tossed a salute. "Feeding chickens, here I come."

When Cliff left, Jack looked into the sky. "You do good work, boss."

XxXxXxX

Jack laid in bed for the next day, miserable and lonely. There was nothing to do and he didn't feel like reading. For the most part, Jack was up in bed and napping, although he couldn't sleep forever. His fever was up, he was taking medicine, he ate light foods and some clear fluids and orange juice. The satellite tv had some decent channels to watch. It'd looked like his grandfather had only gotten the bare minimum of satellite deals so he could watch Ace.

On that day, Jack was tempted to pop in a random tape and watch one of his old matches, but the very thought of Ace Valentine was detestable. So he didn't want to watch himself run around the ring and talk like...well, like his old self. Those days were gone and even thought it seemed like he was having more than enough trouble leaving it behind, he really wasn't ready for another herniated disk or the intense soreness.

He received a letter from Ann, confirming what he'd suspected.

"_Dear Jack,"_

"_As you no doubt know by now, Cliff didn't want to hear what I had to tell him. I guess this is the only way that things could have been. I feel good knowing I had tried to tell him and even better that he loves me enough not to hear what we'd done, although I suspect he may know and has simply forgiven us. Still, you never know. He might be waiting to ask for a three-way or something. Hey, I'm open if you are, Winkwink. If not, let's never speak of this again and I promise not a word to Popuri."_

"_Ann"_

XxXxXxX

At the beginning of the second day, he was sleeping heavily when a knock came to his door. He lifted his eyes and moaned, "Who is it?"

"It's me." A muffled voice answered.

Jack couldn't hear. "Me, who?"

"Jack, it's Popuri, open up, it's cold outside!"

"Come in!" he yelled.

Popuri opened the door and shut it against the cold winds. "Brrr. Pooh! The cold is so cold! Jack, I haven't seen you in days, what're you doing in here?"

"I'm playing golf courses in the midst of my unfettered mind." Jack replied with a cough, "What do you think I'm doing? I'm sick, Poe, so you'd better get out of here."

She walked up to him and felt his forehead. "Jack, you're burning up. You have a fever."

"I have a cold! Of course I have a fever. Don't hang around for long, Poe, you might get sick or something, to say nothing of the fact that I feel like crap and I'd make you feel the same way if you stuck around. So do yourself a favor and go home."

Popuri looked at him, looked around, and then walked out the door without so much as a 'see ya'. Jack just shrugged and went back to sleep.

Thirty minutes later, he was woken up by the sound of the door opening and he looked to see Popuri shut it and toss a duffle bag by the door, her other arm heavy with a picnic basket. He moaned, "You're crazy if you think I'm going on a picnic."

Popuri looked at him with a no nonsense look on her face. "Jack, this is some supplies for me to make chicken soup. I'm not going to sit here and let you suffer, you don't seem to be any good at taking care of yourself, so I'm going to take care of you until you're better."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Poe, don't. I'm fine, really. Look, I'm jumping all over the place. ACHOO!" he sneezed and Popuri was suddenly at his side with a box of tissues. "Blow your nose, Jack. Being sick is no excuse for bad manners."

Jack blew his nose and sneezed again, then suddenly felt the urge for BLTs. He moaned to himself. "Oh no. Not _her_ too." What was he going to do. He looked up at Popuri and said, "Get the door, Mary's coming."

She offered him a strange, confused look, "What? How do you know?"

"I want some BLTs."

"Jack, you're not eating BLTs while you're sick, now tell me how you know Mary's coming?"

_Knock, knock_

"Jack, are you home?" Mary's muffled voice came.

Popuri answered the door and Mary and Popuri stared at each other for a long moment before Mary asked, "Hey, Popuri, what're you doing?"

"Jack is sick, so I'm staying to offer him some help." Popuri said, sounding as if nothing could be better than taking care of sick Jack. He moaned and rolled over.

"Wow." Mary said, "What a coincidence. Cliff just told me Jack thought he was going to get a cold, so I brought a couple of books on fighting colds for him." She walked over to Jack and felt his head. "He has a fever."

"Duh." Jack said.

"Jack, hush." Mary said. "You need your strength."

"Listen to us, Jack." Popuri added. "We're women, we're always right."

"Horseshit!" Jack cried, "Get outta my house, you two old bags! You'll drive me insane before I can get better. I'll not be talked of with such disrespect."

"I think he's getting delirious." Popuri said, "I'll get him an ice pack."

"I'll look up the best remedy for a fever." Mary said, sitting on his couch and thumbing through one of the books she brought.

"I'll have to start his chicken soup." Popuri said, "Is that alright for you, Mary?"

"Let me see what you brought. Jack needs the right enzymes and vitamins to help him get well."

Jack moaned out loud, wordlessly.

"Hush, Jack." Popuri said. "I don't think he has any vitamins here, but the General Store would."

"Do I have time to run there before you finish cooking?" Mary asked.

"Of course. I'll wait until you get back." Popuri said with a smile.

Mary was gone and back in less than an hour and she brought her own duffel bag with her. "What's that for?" He asked.

"Jack, Popuri can't take care of you round the clock. Obviously, I'm going to have to stay with you and make sure you get the proper balance of vitamins and nutrients according to my books." She patted her nearby book. "You don't mind, do you?"

"I just want some sleep!" He cried.

Popuri returned from the kitchen, "And you should refill your ice tray once in a while, I had to refreeze some ice before I could make this ice pack. You'll get some sleep when you're through eating, you have to keep up your health, like Mary says."

_Knock, Knock_

"Go away!" Jack cried.

"Come in." Popuri said sweetly.

The door opened and Karen waltzed in carrying a duffel bag in her arms.

"Karen!" Popuri said, surprised. "What're you doing here?"

Karen tossed her bag near the door with Mary's and Popuri's. "Mary came into the General Store to buy medicine and told me about Jack and that you were trying to take care of him. I figured you might feed him, but he's going to have some other needs he needs taken care of. So I'm gonna stay with you guys in case he needs some house work done or a pillow or something."

"Go _away!_" Jack cried, moaning. "If I want a wife to nag me, I'll order one from Russia!"

"Jack, hush." All three said together.

So the situation went the rest of the day with Popuri cooking, fixing Jack's various medical needs, Mary inspecting the food, making sure he had vitamin supplements and the correct back arch to expedite healing, and Karen fetching him pillows, keeping the fire stoked, helping bring the things they needed. All the while, Jack sat back, miserable and unable to sleep.

Karen brought him a small bell while the other two were in the kitchen. "You're lucky I like you so much, Jack. Having to put up with those two while you're sick...you must hate it."

"Go home and choke." Jack snarled.

She laughed. "You're so funny. I'll get you another ice pack. Just remember: no suck-face until you're well." She went into the kitchen and Mary returned with a glass of water and some pills. She winked at him.

"Jack, you're lucky you've got me to help take care of you. Those two wouldn't know a vitamin from an enzyme with the instructions written on both. But keep those lips to yourself until you're better, okay? I should be okay, because I had my pre-winter shots, but just to be prepared."

Jack looked up at her. "Go read yer trashy hacks, bookworm."

Mary smiled sweetly at him, "You're so funny, Jack. Here's your vitamins. You know what to do."

For the pure spite of it, Jack put the large vitamin in his nose, held down one nostril, then used a deep breath and some basic physics to shoot the pill across his house to land in the corner.

Popuri came up to him holding a tray of steaming chicken soup. She talked in a low tone as she came towards him, "Jack, you're lucky you have someone who can cook for you to—OOP!" Popuri's foot tangled on the rug near his dining table and she fell, the bowl of hot chicken soup flipping in mid-air and landing right on top of Jack's head.

"AAAARGH! ACHOO!" Jack cried and sneezed.

Popuri jumped up. "Oh Jack, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean too, are you alright?"

"IT BURNS!" He cried, leaping out of bed. Mary came running over to Jack as he slung the bowl off of his head.

Mary leapt up next to him. "Jack, let me take a look. Karen, get the medical supplies. Popuri, clean the bed off." She looked at his face, holding it with his hands. Karen came up to him and put her hand on his face, twisting his head around the other way.

"He looks burned."

Mary rolled her eyes, "No spit, that's why I said to get the medical supplies."

Karen turned to Mary with an angry look, "Why don't _you_ get the medical supplies?"

Popuri grabbed his face and turned it to her. "Jack, you look burned. Do you think it'll leave a scar?"

Mary said, "It depends on the temperature of the soup. How high was the stove setting?"

"Two hundred degrees," Popuri answered.

Mary pulled out a calculator. "Okay, so the temperature of the room plus the ambient temperature of the house minus the cooling temperature of sitting water in a room temperature environment divided by the outside ambient temperature and carried over at a pace of fifteen to twenty seconds out of the pot...ewww, this is going to be trickier than I thought. Popuri, did you use genetically engineered chicken or natural chicken for that soup?

"ENOUGH!" Jack cried, making all three girls jump back. They stared at him as he sighed loudly and coughed, "I'm gonna take a shower."

Mary pointed her finger, "Make sure it isn't above a farenheight temperature of —"

"Bite me!" Jack snapped, leaving for the shower.

Mary sighed, "I think I need a drink of wine. He's a real crank when he's sick."

Jack jumped in and let the cool water fall on him as he washed off the chicken soup in his hair. He sighed, thankful for the small retreat from the insanity the girls were putting him through, and stepped out, his foot suddenly slipping and he cried out loud as he fell backwards out of the tub and onto the floor, his lower half sticking into the air.

Before he could right himself, Karen, Popuri, and Mary all rushed in.

"Jack, we heard a crash, are youOHMYGOD!?" Popuri shrieked as she ran in, hiding her eyes, but not quickly enough.

"OH GOD, I'M SORRY!" Karen cried, covering her eyes. "WE'RE SORRY!"

Mary sipped her wine, lifting an eyebrow. "Hello-o-o-o."

XxXxXxX

As soon as Jack was dressed, and the sheets were taken off and replaced, he fell back into bed and watched with some amusement as the girls finally went about their tasks with silence and a blush on their faces. It wasn't long lived. The night wore on and if it wasn't Mary picking about having too many vitamins, it was Popuri putting another ice pack on his head.

If it wasn't Karen propping his back with yet another pillow, it was Mary knocking the spoon out of his hand for accidentally taking in a piece of gristle from the chicken soup.

Karen came out of his washhouse with the laundry basket in her hands. "Jack, I figured as long as I was doing your sheets, I'd finish the rest of your clothes. You don't mind, do you? This is the first load I washed."

He shook his head. That was likely the nicest thing they'd done for him all day. She brought it to the foot of his bed and looked in the basket, her face scrunching in wonder. "Hmm. This is odd." She dumped out a basket full of pink clothes. Jack's eyes widened. "What the...those aren't mine."

"Oops." Karen said, reaching in and pulling out a pair of red socks. "I guess I got your white clothes mixed with a colored one. Sorry, Jack."

"My shirts!" Jack cried. "They're all pink."

Karen looked at one clothing article and picked it up. "Not this one. It's pink and a little brown and...OH MY GOD!" She flung his tightie-whities across the room in disgust.

"Shows what you know." Popuri said smugly. "Everyone knows you don't mix colors and whites."

Karen stood on her toes, jabbing her finger into Poporui's face. "You shush, you classless prude. I know damn well how to wash clothes."

"Just as well as you know how to cook?" Popuri asked.

Karen growled, fuming, "That's low, Popuri."

Jack smiled, sniffling, and sat up, "Alright. Cat fight."

Popuri turned her nose up at Karen. "Hmph! Well, I'm not here to ruin Jack's things. Jack, is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Jack nodded, a strange glimmer in his eyes and a smile on his lips. "Yeah, I want you two to stop fighting."

The two girls looked to the ground, ashamed. "Sorry." They said.

Jack waved them off. "It's okay. Go ahead and hug and make up."

Karen and Popuri looked at each other and hugged at arm's length, looking to Jack for approval. He grinned, "Yeah, that's it. Get closer."

They got next to each other.

"See, don't you feel better?"

They nodded.

"Now Karen, rub Popuri's back a little bit."

The girl started rubbing Popuri up and down her back.

Jack's grin widened, "Now Popuri, rub Karen's hair a little."

Popuri smiled and did so, noting Karen's bangs.

Jack smiled all the wider. "Now...go on and give each other a little kiss. Go on."

The two of them frowned, staring at him. Karen and Popuri looked at each other, then to Jack. "Are you sure? I think we've made up enough."

"Well, I don't." Jack said, "Now go on, Popuri, give Karen a little kiss."

Popuri furrowed her brow, but shrugged and leaned in with her lips puckered. Jack watched with his eyes widening with each second that passed. Popuri smooched Karen on the cheek, near the corner of her mouth.

Jack smiled wider, "Alright, now Karen, you give Popuri a kiss, but this time...use your tongue a little."

"Jack!" Mary cried, walking in on them suddenly. "Stop it!" She turned to Popuri and Karen. "Will you two stop letting him turn you into lesbians?"

Karen and Popuri were suddenly ten feet away from each other in the span of a second. Mary turned back to Jack and handed him another pill and a glass of water. "That was uncalled for, Jack. Now give me this pillow. You don't need it." She grabbed a pillow that was sitting across his lap and tried to yank on it, but he took a corner of it and held on for dear life. Mary struggled to pull it away, but Jack refused to let it go and finally Mary just gave up.

It went on into the night until at last, Jack looked and saw Popuri on the couch, Mary strung out next to her, and Karen had collapsed at the foot of his bed, all of them completely spent of energy. Jack leaned back and finally smiled because he could get some sleep.

That is, he slept until Karen started snoring loudly.

XxXxXxX

The sun shone through the blinds the next morning and Jack yawned, then stopped, suddenly aware of something. He sniffed, his sinus clear. He jumped out of bed and laughed. His headache was gone, his fever disappeared, and his cold was...cured. "I don't believe it." He said. "They did it. They cured me! HA! Karen, Mary, Popuri! Wake up, you sweet girls! You cured me."

He shook Popuri, who woke to a fit of coughing. That prompted Mary to wake up and sneeze as hard as she could. On the bed, Karen rolled over, moaning.

XxXxXxX

Jack peeked his head out through the door at the five people at his doorstep. "Look, I know you're all worried, but I'm quarantining them here until they're better."

Rick, Sasha, Jeff, Basil, and Anna all looked at him sternly. "Are you sure?" Rick asked. "We can't even see them?"

"Unless you want the plague, be my guest. Guess they shouldn't have tried to cure me so hard. Don't worry, they're in good hands. I'll take care of them until they get on their feet."

Sasha shook her finger at them, "Alright, but I expect you to be a perfect gentleman to them, Jack. They're young ladies, not your rough-and-tumble playmates like Cliff and Ann."

Jack just saluted her and shut the door, turning around. Karen, Popuri, and Mary all sat in his bed, ice packs on their heads. He rushed over to Mary and pulled the thermometer out of her mouth. "A hundred degrees even. I'll get you another ice pack, Mary."

"Jack, I don't feel so well." Popuri whined.

"You're sick, Poe. You're not supposed to feel well." Jack said, his eyes suddenly going wide. "Uh-oh! OH CRAP!"

Mary looked at him, worried. "What? Is it worse than you read?

Jack looked at the thermometer. "No, I just...I think this is a rectal thermometer." He shrugged, "Oh well, I'll just get you to brush your teeth double-hard tonight. Karen, how ya doin', babe?"

"I think I'm going to throw up!"

"Just don't do it on my pillows, they're old and I can't replace them."

"_BLEARGH!"_

"AAAAGH!" Popuri shrieked, "JACK, KAREN THREW UP ON ME...ACHOO!"

Jack panicked, running into the kitchen. "Hold on, I'll clean it up, just don't—"

"_HURRLK!"_

Jack sighed again, "-Throw up yourself."

"JACK, I THREW UP!"

"I'm not deaf, Popuri! Mary, get—"

"_BUURGH! YECK!"_

Jack slapped his forehead. "-Out of my bed before you puke."

"Jack, we're covered in vomit!" Popuri cried, "Help us!"

"Jack, my head hurts!"

"Jack, hurry up with that mop!"

"Jack, you're burning the chicken soup!"

"Jack, your pants have a hole in the rump, your hind end is sticking out!"

"Jack, I'm covering in puke!"

"Jack, I think I need to use the bathroom."

Jack sighed, toying briefly with the idea of grabbing the sickle in the corner. "Jack, you're in over your head."

"Jack!"

"_I'M COMING! SHUT YER YAP!"_

XxXxXxXxX

**Author's note**: What happened? I went on a Christmas Sabbatical to hopefully get my muse back. And it worked. More to come, peoples.


	28. Cold snow, Hot Springs

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: "COLD SNOW, HOT SPRINGS"**

Boy oh boy, was it ever cold. Snuggling into his blanket, Jack flipped onto his side in bed and lazily looked out the window. His head snapped up as he noticed a white sheen outside the window.

XxXxXxX

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" Mary asked her mother.

"Popuri said Jack doesn't have a lot of winter things, so we're doing the neighborly thing by bringing him some of the essentials for a Flowerbud winter." Anna answered.

"Do we have to do it when it's cold?" Karen griped, "Can't we do it in the summer, when it's _not_ cold?"

"Oh, you'll be fine, Karen. Stop being such a baby." Sasha said. She leaned closer to Karen so only her daughter would hear, "You wanted me to give Jack a chance and after that tantrum you put on, I'm giving it to you, heaven help me."

"This crockpot is getting heavy." Popuri said, holding the pot in her hands. "Hurry up or I'll drop it."

Ann reached out and took it from the pink-haired girl, "Here, I'll take it. He'd better be awake for us coming over at eight in the morning, in the ankle deep snow, giving him stuff he could just buy himself."

"I'm sure he'll be up." Manna said, "He's always up early. I can always see him and Cliff from the kitchen window, working or running around. You know I think little May should be around about this time, too. Did you guys know that May and Stu come play on his farm? You'd think he'll let my baby come play when she's born?"

Sasha stopped her with a look, "Manna, are you pregnant?"

Manna lowered her head, "No."

"Oh, I thought you hadn't told us or something like that." Sasha sighed and patted Manna on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm sure one day you and Duke will have a baby. One that _won't_ leave and never come back."

The women all muttered their assessments. Their only daughter, Aja, had left at the tender age of twelve with Joanna, May's mother, and both had hardly been seen or heard from since.

The women, bundles in their arms, approached the Old Time farm and jumped as Jack flung himself out through the front door and into the thick snow, wearing only his boxer shorts. He rolled around in the snow, his arms flailing as he cackled in delight, "It's all MINE!" He cried, "Mine, mine, mine, mine! All mine, it's mine!"

He sat up, tossing handfuls of the snow into the air and even stuffing some of it into his shorts, laughing in delight as he rolled around in the snow in front of six bewildered women. He spun around and stopped, his left hand holding open the elastic strap to his boxers and his right hand holding a clump of snow to drop inside. He looked at them, his smiled faded. He quickly stood up, "Morning ladies."

Sasha, who felt her cheeks burning, sighed, "Jack."

Ann grinned, "Hey, Jack. Is that lump of snow in your pants, or are you just happy to see us?"

Jack shook his leg, trying to make the snow fall out through the leg hole. "So, what brings you ladies here?"

Manna stepped up, "We brought you some things that we think you need for the winter...like clothes."

"Ya, those would be cool." Jack said, "As you can see, I don't have any on right now."

"And it would be nice if you put some on." Sasha said sternly. How immature of the boy, to roll around in his underwear.

Jack just shrugged her off, "Come on inside, all of you. Show me what you have and I'll put some clothes on."

Jack's clothes turned out to be just a robe for decency's sake. He invited them in and accepted their gifts. They turned out to be a thick parka jacket, some thick pants, insulated working gloves, some piping hot meals, and a big pair of fuzzy pink slippers. He opened the slippers and looked to Popuri, who tried to look innocent. "What?"

"I wonder who bought these for me?" He said sarcastically. "Thanks, Poe?"

"How did you know I bought those?" She asked innocently. Jack's eyes fell flat and he refused to answer her question. Jack thanked all the ladies kindly and saw them out, making eyes at Karen, Mary, and Popuri respectively as they left. He noted the big, think-insulated coats and such and was thankful. They'd come in handy on those winter days that were just too cold. Today, however, was not too cold and all he grabbed was a thin jacket and some pants and he was off into the snow, frolicking like a schoolboy on a snowed-out day.

Snow was, to him, a part of his childhood that brought a heavy sense of nostalgia. He remembered playing in the snow in his small back lot of the city, where his dad had worked as a consultant to the police force. Snowball fights and such were the order of the day, as were snowmen who became the targets of Jack's early feats of pro-wrestling. It was a lot of work to build up a snowman, only to demolish him with a flying drop kick, but one of the kicks of childhood.

And, it always brought back memories of high school. He didn't know if he loved snow or despised it, because of the memories it brought him. It harkened back to a time in his life where he had been unsure about a lot of things. That day on the ice rink, where he had seen Miss Wilkinson, his high school science teacher, out on the ice. Her long raven-black hair billowing out of her cap like black waves, her smooth, pale skin, her luscious red lips; she was more than attractive, she was downright sensuous to look at. The way she looked at him...the same way Karen looked at him; that animalistic look that drove Jack wild.

That look. That eyes-half-close look, the curl of the woman's lips...sometimes referred to as "bedroom eyes", Jack had been on the receiving end of those looks plenty of times in his life. But now that he thought of it, he saw that look often in Karen's eyes. Mary didn't gaze on him like that, she held him with a calculating gaze, like she was trying to figure out everything about him.

Popuri looked up at him with a sparkle in her eyes, a glazed over look and a blush in her cheeks that Jack would have thought of as "starstruck" if he thought she knew who he was.

But Karen...she gave him that look every time she saw him. Why was that different? Why was Karen so different than Mary and Popuri? Why?

Jack needed help, but he didn't know where to turn. There was literally no help in the town. He couldn't ask any of the guys, that wasn't a conversation that went between guys. Most conversations between guys about women started either with, "What do you think...?" or a shake of the head and the phrase, "Women."

There wasn't a single female he could speak with. Ann was Popuri's friend, so she'd be sure to blab it to her. The older women—or as Jack called them, the "Chatty Trio"—would have spread that gossip around town so fast, Jack might as well shout it out himself.

No, this was a problem for him and himself only. He didn't know what to do about it.

"Hi, Mr. Jack." May's shrill cry came from the entrance to his farm. Jack had a sudden nauseating feeling, like he was Mr. Wilson and May was the reincarnation of Dennis the Menace. She waddled into his farm as best she could in a coat so think, her arms stuck out and couldn't be lowered to her side. She giggled and then tripped, falling face first into the snow and wailing as she flailed helplessly trying to get up.

"Help me! AAH!" She cried until Jack came over and lifted her up onto her feet. He patted her covered head. "What's up, small fry?"

"You gonna play with me today, Mr. Jack?" She asked.

"Well, I can't farm, now can I?"

"You can grow snow!" She said.

Jack chuckled, "Then business is booming. What say we go and make a snowman?"

"Yeah!" May cried, rushing out into the field, then tripping and falling again on her face too fast.

XxXxXxX

Jim Black stared through the window of his black Sedan and sighed. This was going to be a hum-dinger of a day, but thanks to Aaron St. Claire and a little old fashioned gumshoe work, he felt confident this entire mess that he'd been put into was going to be over soon.

He stepped out of his car and approached the courthouse, tugging his trench-coat closer to him to stave off the bitter, wet cold of early winter. He hated winter—almost as much as he hated summer...and spring...and fall. In fact, these days, he didn't like anything at all.

The press, a choking mob of yelling people, microphones, and cameras, flocked towards him, only the throng of police keeping him at bay. He sneered at the thought of his face on all the news shows and papers with the title 'suspected pedophile' underneath. He was thinking murderous thoughts about Jack and Kevin Harris.

He slept through most of the boring proceedings, even thought this concerned his own fate. The hearing was to investigate the photo files on his computer and the emails sent to the mayor's office from his own office. He had spilled his story a hundred times to the good cop-bad cop duos that had unceremoniously NOT believed a word he said. They'd locked him in a cell with big, burly guys who had heard he was a pedophile and expressed in an array of violent measure their displeasure with pedophiles.

But he allowed himself a small smile. He had evidence now.

When the head judge of the hearing allowed his lawyer—Mr. St. Claire's personal defense lawyer, in fact—he stood up and called Jamie Biggs in his defense. Biggs was a computer expert who was called on to give his testimony.

St. Claire's lawyer, one Jimmy Forelli, gestured to the computer tower on the small table of evidence. "Is this Mr. Black's computer?"

"Correct." Biggs said.

"And did you inspect Mr. Black's computer, specifically the files in question?"

"Correct."

"And what did you find, Mr. Biggs?"

Biggs shuffled in his seat, "Well, computer keeps a hidden log of when each file is created. I inspected each individual photo for its creation date."

"And when was the files in question created."

"They were all created on November 24th, at two-thirteen am. They were subsequently emailed two minutes after that."

"Thank you." He rushed Biggs off the witness stand and then turned to the table of evidence. He picked up a plane ticket. "Your honor, this is a ticket for my client from Metro Heights to Chicago and back. On the date in question, my client was not only not at his office, he was in another city."

He set them back down and then picked up a tape. "I know what you're thinking. He could have bought the ticket and given it to someone else. But _this_, I think, will exonerate my client once and for all. Permission to play this tape?"

The judge nodded and Forelli put it into a vcr and played a tape, which was clearly a surveillance video from the look of it. "At precisely ten pm, my client entered this bar in Chicago and stayed until closing time at four am. You can see him here, in the upper left corner." He pointed to Jim Black's form, sitting at a table, smoking, talking to some people, and drinking. They wound through the tape, showing his entire duration there in fast-forward, but save for some bathroom breaks, Jim Black was most definitely at that bar the entire night. Jim was just glad he was able to remember the bar he went to and they still had the surveillance tape.

"Can any of you of the panel tell me how it is Mr. Black was at his computer, when he was all the way in Chicago? He couldn't have. Someone broke into Mr. Black's office, stole a file of his, then planted the images on his computer and mailed them to the mayor's office in a deliberate attack on my client."

The judges of the hearing panel looked to one another.

Fifteen minutes later, Jim Black walked out of the courthouse a free man.

XxXxXxX

Jack walked up to the General Store just in time to see Karen shoveling the sidewalk clear. She spied him and smiled, stopping in her shoveling. "Hey, Jack. How's life without me around?"

"Pretty much like it was before I met you. I haven't seen you in a few weeks, not since you got sick at my house." He noted.

Karen just yanked her head towards the store. "My mother. She's adamant that you're the devil in disguise."

"What?!" Jack cried, "Who told her?! Bah! Your mother's just a paranoid old broad, right?"

Karen shrugged, "Unless you really are trying to corrupt me, Jack."

Jack rubbed his hands together, "And soon my plan will be complete. Hahahaha!" He stepped closer to her. "Tell ya what. Tonight...you...me...hot springs. Get out for a little while, okay? Get some air, put a little space between you and the old crow. That sound okay?" He asked, leaning closely to ask this of her. Karen felt her cheeks grow hot, burning from his nearness.

"Sure, Jack." She said softly. Jack smiled and then gave her a firm pat on her behind before walking off. Karen watched him leave in the direction of the Library and sighed, wishing tonight could come a little faster.

Jack knocked softly on the door to the Library. "Mary?"

"Open." Her soft voice said.

Jack opened the door and stepped in, seeing Mary behind her desk, as always. She smiled as he came in. "Hello...er, whoever you are today."

Jack just shrugged, "It's me, of course."

Mary recognized the difference of tone, the change of voice, the subtle body language. He wasn't a predator stalking prey, he was a friend visiting a friend. Mary sighed, "Oh, it's you, Jack."

"Of course, it's me." He said, "Who else would I be?"

"_It could have been Ace, coming for a nooner."_ She thought. She spied the books in his hand. "Something new?"

"Just came in this morning, so I figured I'd drop it off." Jack put four books on her desk.

Mary picked them up, looking. "I've never heard of these."

"Stephen King's _'The Dark Tower'_. Hands down the best fantasy you've ever read. I don't know if you've heard of Stephen King before," She was shaking her head no, "But he's written a lot of books. He did some horror books in the seventies and eighties and got famous for that, but lately he writes more dark fantasy than anything else. The Dark Tower series is absolute gold. Try it."

"I will. Thank you." She put the four books under her desk.

"Now those are just the first four books. The whole series is seven books long, so you've got some time to finish those before I can get the last installments in the mail. I never finished it myself, but I'm hoping to. Well, shoot, I've got to get back. May is back at the farm, probably covering my cow in snow or something."

Mary called good-bye to him and sighed as he left. She had been dreading seeing Jack by herself for weeks, knowing that Ace was always waiting for her was a bit disconcerting, unnerving. Yet Jack had come in and it was Jack. Ace was nowhere to be seen. She didn't know what to think or say to that. Beforehand, Ace was simply coming out and showing himself to her, knocking Jack away before he could fight back.

Was Jack even aware of Ace? Mary had been reading on personality dissociation and Jack was certainly exhibiting many of the symptoms, but the problem with Jack and Ace was that they only differed in certain areas, but the remainder of the time, they were remarkably similar. At least, she could see this by watching him, putting together what she knew of him.

Most importantly, Jack needed her before Ace did something they both regretted.

XxXxXxX

Jack returned home in time to find May just playing with a snowman. She looked up at him, laughing, "Hi, Mr. Jack. I finished my snowman."

Jack took one look at the misshapen lump of clay that didn't look anything like what a snowman was supposed to look like and had to stifle a laugh. "That's great, booger. Listen, it's getting close to sunset, so why don't you go on home, okay?"

"Sure." She said, suddenly sounding sullen. May suddenly went up to him and tugged on his jacket. "Mr. Jack?"

He looked down at her. "Yeah?"

"Will you marry me?"

The absurdity of the question surprised him. He kneeled down in front of her. "Why would you want to marry me?"

"Because, I like being over here and I thought if we got married, I could be over here all the time. I love you, Mr. Jack." She wrapped her thick-coated arms around his arm, since that was the only thing she could get near to hugging. For some reason he couldn't understand, Jack felt like a total heel, as if he had no right to tell her no. But he couldn't in any way, shape, or form, marry May.

He patted her back. "Sorry, May. But I'm just too old for you. You'll be alright, you just have to find someone your own age."

"But I love you!" She whined.

Jack swallowed a rising lump in his throat. "I...I love you, too. But you're a little girl, May. I'm...I'm sorry." And he truly was.

May let go of him, pouting. "Okay."

"Go on home, okay?"

"Okay." With that she waddled off, leaving Jack by himself. Where had he heard that before? Of course! He snapped his fingers. Popuri! She looked at him like that, said that kind of unwavering devotion endlessly. Jack felt as if the thought should have been some kind of revelation, but it wasn't. Not really.

He sighed. It was getting dark. He trudged off and wandered mindlessly, feeling as if he had no sense of purpose at all. Before long he reached the steps of the Hot Springs and walked up. When he neared the top, he could feel the warmth rolling off the springs delightfully.

Next to the springs was a cave, but he hadn't explored those yet. According to what he'd heard, it was a mine filled with lots of ore. Jack recalled the pick-axe in his barn. Maybe he'd have to do some winter exploring.

Jack kicked his boots off, shrugged off all his coats, and hopped into the Hot Springs with a satisfying 'AAAH'. The Springs were better than a hot tub. The smell of fresh, hot water from the mountain springs, fed from the waterfall to the side of the springs, was just the right temperature and the small bubbles massaged the aches of the day away.

Jack was only inside for about ten minutes when the door leading from the shed to the pool opened and closed. Jack waited and two minutes later, the door opened again and Karen stepped out and...my goodness, Jack was glad his lower half was hidden by bubbling water.

Karen stepped in wearing a purple two-piece bathing suit and that was generous at best. Her top wasn't so much a top but two flimsy bits of purple fabric covering up her nipples delicately. The bottom, if it could even be called that, was a thin thong that left nothing to the imagination on the backside and covered very, very little on the front side.

Jack's mouth dropped, his mental defense shattered, and he felt his pulse quicken to the level of a stampeding freight train. Karen gave him the Look again and slunk into the water, sliding next to him and lifting his arm so she could sit under it. "Been thinking about you, Jack."

Jack pulled her closer to him. "I think about you all the time. Your swimsuit is a little...risqué, don't you think?"

"Relax, I know what I was doing when I bought it." She blushed, "In fact, I even shaved to wear it."

"Your legs? I hope to high heaven you shave your legs, woman." Jack said, laughing.

Karen laughed softly. "Not my legs." She lifted the bottom of her bathing suit for Jack to see. He peeked in, his eyes going wide. "Holy...!" He gasped.

She blushed, letting it back down. Of course, there wasn't much left to their imaginations, not after their skinny dipping incidents. Neither one of them was one for wasting words that night. Karen quickly turned and took Jack in a long kiss, all the while holding his face as she stood up and then seated herself on his lap, wrapping her legs around his back.

The Springs, already quite heated, got even hotter as Jack kissed the increasingly attractive Karen in his arms. As they kissed, his hands went over her body, groping and touching. She rewarded him with a moan of pleasure when he found a spot that she liked. The flimsy bathing suit was easy to brush aside as he brought his lips from hers to her neck, tracing a path slowly down to her breasts.

Karen sank into a state of perpetual bliss, interrupted only by her want and need to taste Jack's lips. How could she have denied herself his touch for so long? Sure, she hated her home and wanted to leave, but with Jack here, wasn't it worth it? Wasn't his touch worth everything? He had so much. Couldn't he just leave with her? Take her somewhere else where she could see the world outside this puny town. Everything under the stars could be theirs for the taking. Tonight...tonight, she was his for the taking.

Karen let everything she was trying to hold onto go. She thrust herself at him, knowing full well that the male part of his brain would take the hint. And Jack did. He pulled her closer, kissing her shoulder as he held her. No words passed between them, for they needed none.

Jack couldn't stop himself any more. Karen had enticed him from the first days he'd spent in the village. They had traded glances and looks and held each other's naked forms, but the push to something deeper was undeniable. Jack couldn't wait any more, he _had_ to have Karen, was going to take her right then and there. Jack's right hand crept down her back, then under her leg, pushing the flimsy bikini bottom aside. Karen nearly screamed in anticipation, waiting for him eagerly.

"_KAREN!"_

The sudden scream of her mother was so sudden that Karen literally leapt off Jack and fell backwards into the Hot Springs. She lifted her head and found her mother at the edge of the pool, glaring at her with her face so red, it looked like the surface of a tomato-a tomato engulfed in flames. _"GO HOME THIS INSTANT, YOUNG LADY!"_

Karen, embarrassed beyond belief, and still trying to scoop bits of herself into her "bathing suit" before her mother could see. But it was no use. Her mother _had_ seen her and the truth was undeniable. Practically naked, straddling Jack, their eyes empty and their mouths open...there was no excusing themselves. Jack sunk into the water, still trying to hide his lower half for nothing else than sheer decency. Never before had the age old adage _"Get a room"_ been more true.

Sasha screamed incoherently, trying to find a vent for her rage as Karen scrambled out of the Hot Springs and into the shed to grab her clothes. _"GET YOUR CLOTHES AND GO HOME THIS INSTANT!"_

"Mom, it's cold out! I need my jacket on!" Karen protested.

"_YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO FREEZE ALL THE WAY HOME! GO! NOW!"_ And Sasha used her hand to spank Karen on her exposed bottom, something she hadn't done since Karen had been a young teen, sneaking out with Rick to kiss him when they'd been younger.

Sasha turned to Jack, stabbing her finger at him as if she could stab him to death with it. _"YOU ARE NEVER TO SEE MY DAUGHTER AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR ME? I WILL NOT HAVE MY DAUGHTER TURNING INTO YOUR SHAMELESS HUSSY! IF I EVER SEE YOU NEAR HER AGAIN, I WILL KILL YOU, JACK!"_

Jack, in utter shock, simply sat there, mute as Sasha fumed, her tiny fist clenched and trembling. He had seen angry parents before, had done his share of running across the lawn of a high school sweetie whose father hadn't appreciated his daughter being deflowered. In his younger days, Jack had once thought of himself as the master deflowerer of his high school. (He had preferred the term "virginity negotiator").

He didn't know what happened after that. He blacked out and woke up later with no one there and the moon high in the sky. He looked around, but could see no one. Lifting his hands, he found his hands and feet completely pruned. How long had he been sitting here?

Jack quickly dried off and got dressed, heading down the stairs and onto the mountain path when he collided with someone, spilling onto the ground.

"Ow! Who's walking this late at night?" He asked.

"Jack?" The female voice asked.

"Poe? That you?" He stood to his feet and fumbled in the dark, trying to take her hand. He squeezed a lump of flesh that certainly was _not_ a hand and Popuri squeaked, reaching out to strike him. "Jack! Keep your hands to yourself!"

"Sorry." He found her hand and lifted her to her feet. "I didn't see you, it's too dark. You okay?"

"I'm fine. But what're you doing out here, this late at night?"

"Me?" Jack asked, surprised, "What're _you_ doing out here? It's got to be after midnight."

"I know," She answered softly, "That's why I come out here. It's so quiet, so peaceful. Like all the problems of the world just go away when I'm by myself. Sometimes, in the summer, I stay up there and go to sleep at the peak of Mother's Hill."

"It's kind of cold out for that, isn't it?" Jack asked.

Even in complete darkness, Jack could _hear_ her blush, "I think the cold is kind of romantic. Makes you just want to snuggle up next to someone, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. That's what I think as well." Without another word, he took her and held her close to his body. Popuri just snuggled into him, like a cat settled onto a pillow for a good night's sleep. Together, they walked back home. At the back of Jack's mind, he was still envisioning himself and Karen, their interruption, Sasha's subsequent screaming. He only wished he hadn't blacked out. Had that been so traumatic that he simply didn't remember?

He saw Popuri to her house and saw her off, but didn't kiss her. She watched him leave through her window, her heart drooping, hoping for that kiss that hadn't come. She waited until she saw him turn off his distant light. Poprui turned her eyes skyward, remembering exactly why she had gone up to Mother's Hill in the first place.

When the stars had come out, she had wished on each and every one of them the same wish: _"Let me and Jack be together."_

And when she had wished all she could wish, she had lowered her head and prayed. She had been telling Jack the truth: she _did_ pray for him, but not just for his farm to do well, so that she and he would end up together. Every day, Popuri's heart swelled when she thought of Jack. She moved about her chores with him in her heart, his name on her lips, and a song running through her mind as she dreamed of the day when Jack would truly be hers.

XxXxXxX

That night, Karen knelt before her bed, running her hands through her frazzled hair. She clasped her hands together in a way she hadn't done since she was younger. She closed her eyes and spoke out loud, "God, I know you can hear me and I know right now I'm not your favorite person. But I am so sick and tired of living under my mother. Jack...I just want to be with Jack. Is that so much to ask? Is it really so much to ask? I don't expect an answer, but if you're watching, I want you to know that I just want all this..._crap_ to just go away. Please?"

She stayed silent for a minute, as if waiting for God's booming voice to come out of the sky and say something, but nothing happened. The only voice she heard was her mother's, that shrill scream that was still haunting her every minute.

XxXxXxX

Mary looked into the sky through her window, her hands pressed together. "God, I know I don't pray much, but this is something different. I'm...in love with two men. I don't know what to do and I don't know which one to love. They're both so similar, yet so different. I...I don't really know what I'm asking for. But please...if you could find it in your heart, help me with this. I don't know what to do."

XxXxXxX

Jack went home and sat on the edge of his bed. He took one glance at the bible sitting next to his bed and swept it into the drawer of his end-table. He went to sleep, and dreamed a dream. All he envisioned was himself, jumping up in the Hot Springs and cursing at Sasha in an explicit, curse-laden tirade.

All the while, Ace smiled at him. _"Good work, kid. 'Bout time you showed some spine."_


	29. Into The Storm

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: "Into the Storm**"

Manna shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. "I'm not casting dispersions on anyone, all I'm saying is that it's odd that Gotz and Harris both aren't married and Harris spends more time at Gotz's house than anyone else's. I mean, just what if, right?"

Anna chuckled, "Manna, you're horrible. What do you think, Sasha?"

Sasha, who had been looking aside, looked up, "What?"

"What's wrong with you?" Mann asked, "You're unusually quiet these days?"

"I'm not feeling well." Sasha lied, sipping her hot chocolate. "I don't feel well at all. Sorry."

"Sasha," Anna said. "You can tell us if something's bothering you. We understand."

Sasha looked to Anna, trying no to glare. Anna knew something, suspected something, but was trying to fish it out of her. Still, Sasha wasn't going to be lulled into confessing...what? That her daughter was the town whore? "No, Anna. I don't think you do."

Anna scoffed, "Hmph! I have a daughter too, Sasha."

So that was it, Sasha mused. It was out in the open already. "Well, you'll excuse me if I don't have a perfectly lady-like daughter like you, Anna."

Manna muttered something and the two of them whipped their heads towards her. "What was that, Manna?" Anna asked.

Manna's eyes widened. "What? I-I-I didn't..." She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "Fine. Anna, you're daughter probably isn't as lady-like as you think. She goes to Jack's house at night, you know?"

"They're reading friends." Anna insisted. Her face grew bright red as Sasha waved her hand in the air, laughing.

"Of _course_ they are, Anna. How utterly ironic, you question me about _my_ daughter and _your_ daughter is taking late night visits to Jack."

"Sometimes _he_ sneaks over _there_." Manna said, off-handedly. "I see a dark figure passing by the house late at night, when I can't sleep. I can't see him, but I know it's that Jack."

"You don't know much, then." Anna snapped, "There's no way on earth Mary would do such a thing. Frankly, Manna, I think you're just trying to squelch my daughter."

"I think Jack is the one doing the squelching." Mann said, nodding her head back and forth, the universal symbol for 'I'm-holier-than-thou'. Anna sneered, "At the very least, my daughter hasn't run off without a care for her parents."

Manna's eyes widened. "How dare you! You leave Aja out of this!"

"You should have left Mary out of this, then." Anna said.

"Not so nice when others criticize your daughter, is it, Anna?" Sasha said, lifting her nose to her friend.

Anna ground her teeth together. "I think, perhaps, the one to blame is Jack. If he's seeing Mary, what is he also doing with Karen? Oh, don't think word hasn't gotten around about what they were doing together over a month ago."

"For your information, I broke them up before they _could_!" Sasha cried.

Anna smiled, "Really? I didn't know that."

Sasha's eyes twitched as she realized that she had been fooled into tell Anna what she didn't know. She had hooked Sasha and Sasha had fallen for it easily. She looked at Anna, "If I were you, Anna, I would make sure Mary never sees Jack again. When I had told Karen to go home, and she was gone, I told Jack he was never to see her again."

"And what did he say?" Manna asked.

"He spoke to me with the most foul language I've ever heard." Sasha said, "And he stood up as if he were going to hit me, so I left. I've never seen anyone speak so foul to another person before." But that wasn't entirely true. Duke hadn't taken it well when she had told him she was leaving him for Jeff; no, he hadn't taken it well at all.

Anna nodded, "I'll do with my daughter as I see fit, Sasha. You keep your advice to yourself." She turned to Manna, "And _you_ keep your fat nose out of it as well. At least my daughter is still _here!"_ Anna stomped off, leaving the two other women in the middle of Rose Square.

Manna stared at her, silent for once. Sasha looked faintly to Manna and could see terribly large tears welling in her eyes, rolling down her cold cheeks silently. "Manna..."

"I'm a horrible mother!" Manna cried, "What did I ever do to have my daughter leave like this?"

"Manna..."

"Leave me alone, Sasha!" Mann said, "You'll know how I feel soon enough, when Karen leaves just like she said she would." Manna ran off for her house, her sobs echoing across the cold village as she did.

Sasha looked to her two friends. She hadn't told them anything, she hadn't told anyone. She had cursed at Karen, screamed at her, but all within their house. No one could have known, unless they were standing outside their door. But they had heard that Karen was involved with Jack somehow and she knew what she had to do.

Sasha calmly walked towards the Church, her anger at a fever pitch that threatened to break at any moment. She knew this had to be done, it was the only way. She walked into the door and towards the confessional, where she sat in and Pastor Carter slid the door aside. "Can I help you?"

Sasha faced the small screen separating them. "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned..." She reared her fist back with a snarl on her lips, "And so have _you!"_

Sasha's feminine fist broke through the screen and grabbed Pastor Carter's collar angrily. Before he had a chance to cry out, she pulled him back towards the wall and slammed his head into it again and again before finally letting go.

Sasha walked out of the booth and opened the other door, watching the Pastor tumble out. "I told you in the strictest confidence about Karen and what do you do? Run your mouth to Anna about it!"

"I did no such thing!" Pastor Carter cried, holding his head, trying to scramble to his feet. "Anna came to me, asking what she could do about Mary and Jack. I told her that I thought...I thought Jack and Karen were together. That's what Karen..." He paused, biting his lip.

Sasha lifted an eyebrow. "That's what Karen says in the confessional, is that it?"

Ben sighed and approached the middle-aged woman. "Sasha, what goes between me and those who confess is in the strictest confidence. I can't any more tell you about Karen than I could about Elli."

"What does Elli have need of confessional for?"

"It was only an example." Ben said, "But you must understand, that I love this village, and all the people in it, and I won't see to its destruction by aiding in games of gossip, it'll only destroy us."

Sasha narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You mean it'll only destroy us if we don't know. What you aren't saying is that this village _has_ secrets that could destroy it and I'd bet my life that most of those secrets and problems have to do with _Jack_."

Ben swallowed, "Jack is new in town, Miss Sasha. He has to have a chance to change, we have no idea what he went through before he came here. All he wants to do is live his life out."

Sasha laughed, "Ha! All he wants to do is my daughter, and I simply won't accept this. My daughter is not some two-bit, classless whore for his bidding."

"With all due respect, miss Sasha, Karen _is_ twenty-one. She's an adult and she's old enough to make her own decisions."

"With all due respect, _Pastor_, you need to leave the parenting to the parents. I don't tell you how to preach your sermons on Sunday, do I?"

Ben shook his head, "No, but it would be nice if you stopped checking your watch every ten minutes. Your Sunday casserole isn't as important as your time with God."

Sasha turned on Pastor Carter. "I suggest you never speak another word of Karen to anyone else, Pastor, or you'll be able to spend _all_ your time with God...in the Clinic hospital beds."

Ben watched her leave with a look of disdain and sadness. "What has this village come to? We're at each other's throats."

XxXxXxX

Days had passed and Jack had heard neither hide nor hair from Mary; He was beginning to wonder. Karen he could understand, but Mary was a mystery. He hadn't had a craving for BLTs since that day at the Hot Springs. He didn't like thinking about that any more, no matter how badly his body had loved it. Karen's mom would likely never want to see him again, especially after...well, Jack was ashamed to admit that he must have cursed Sasha out after she had yelled at him. The things he said...he'd never spoken to anyone that way before.

He decided to make his way towards the Library, see what she thought of his books. He slowly made his way to the Library and opened the door, seeing Mary inside with her head in her arms, crying.

"Mary?" He asked.

The young woman jumped up. "Jack? Jack, you have to leave now! I can't see you anymore."

Jack looked confused. "What? Why? What happened?"

Her slender shoulders bucked as she tried to speak. "My...mother found out...Jack, she thinks such horrible things. I tried...tried to tell her, but she doesn't listen." She took her glasses off and buried them in her hands. Jack moved around the desk and held her in his arms, trying to comfort her. Had things really gotten this bad? Was this because he and Mary had seen each other at night?

"It's okay, Mary. It's okay. She'll get over it."

"Jack, she hates me. She thinks I'm some kind of hussy. She won't let me leave the house unless it's to open the Library, I can't talk to _anyone_ until she thinks I've grow up."

"Mary, you're twenty years old. You _are_ grown up."

"Not to her." Mary said, "Not anymore. Oh, Jack, what have I done?"

"You haven't done anything." Jack said, "Ignore them. You're parents don't have any control over you. Come over to my house. You can stay there until things blow over."

"Jack, this isn't going to blow over!" Mary suddenly shrieked, slamming her hands onto her desk. Jack paused. He had never seen her this upset this emotional. He was trying to think of something to say when her mother arrived from the house next door.

"Mary, I heard you yell, are you...Ah-HA! Caught you trying to sneak up here, Mr. Jack." Anna said, her hands going to her hips. "I'm sure Mary's already told you, so I'll save you an explanation and tell you to leave right now, before I go fetch Harris to arrest you."

"This is a public Library." Jack said, "I can come here if I want."

"This is a privately owned Library and you'll come here if and only if the owners say you're allowed and since Basil and myself happen to be the owners, that means you'll have to read your books somewhere else. Now LEAVE!"

Jack looked at Anna with an angry glare, his eye twitching angrily. He felt like running over there and...what? Hit her? She was just a middle-aged woman with a young daughter. But if there was one thing he was _not_ going to do, it was bow down to an old cow who didn't like him. He hadn't survived this long by taking orders from people. It was high time they learned just who they were trying to mess with.

He looked to Mary. "Do _you_ want me to go?"

She looked up at him, putting her glasses back on, "Please, Jack. Just go."

"I'll see you later." He said.

"You most certainly will _not_!" Anna cried.

In an act of defiance, purely to spite Anna, Jack leaned down and gently kissed Mary on the lips. It was quick, without much feeling, and just as he thought, it made Anna's entire face look like a ripe beet as he walked past. He paused long enough to look down at her, staring her down. Anna stared back, but Jack looked at her long enough that she knew precisely what he was trying to say:

He was only leaving because Mary had asked him. Anna could stand and tell him to leave until she was blue in the face, but he would stand there like the rock of ages. No woman was going to tell _him_ when he could stay somewhere. What was she going to do: call Harris? That wimp of a constable might be able to handle a rowdy drunk, but not him. Not him.

He contemplated going over to Karen's and demanding to see her, but he didn't see a good end to that particular incident. At least in the Library, he'd been in a public place, no matter what Anna said.

He dropped in by the Redwood Inn, hoping to at least score some decent food while he was at it. When he went in, he found Gray, Cliff, and Ann huddled around a table, talking excitedly. When they saw him, they stopped. Cliff waved him over. "Good morning, Jack. Wonderful weather we're having, isn't it?"

Jack grunted and sat next to them. He looked to Ann, "Hey, think you can rustle up some grub?"

"Yeah, we're hungry." Cliff said.

"You boys can go cook for yourselves. Don't tell me you're afraid of the stove." Ann said. She crossed her arms, acting as if she wasn't going to go...until Doug hollered from the back room. "Ann, cook those boys something to eat."

"Yes, master of the universe!" Ann cried back. She hopped up to her feet. "You guys are getting some beef stew, sound good?"

Gray lifted his head, "Actually—"

"Great!" She slapped him on the back, making him lurch forward. "Beef stew coming right up."

As soon as she was out of eartshot, Gray shook his head. "Don't know how ya do it, Cliff."

Cliff just looked smugly and tapped his chest, "Open this up. You find Ann running through my veins. I bleed orange, the same color as her hair. You think this kind of love is easy to come by?"

Jack rolled his eyes, "Oh gag me, sparky."

Gray grinned a little. "Sounds like someone's a little jealous. What's wrong, Jack? Things not going so well with Mary?"

"Just shut up." Jack said, not wanting to discuss Mary with anyone—least of all the southern hump sitting across from him. He hadn't realized just how rudely he'd said that until he looked over to see Cliff and Gray staring at him, wordlessly. "What?"

"God, you're rude!" Cliff said, "Do you know that, Jack? Do you realize how rude and crude you sound? Do you have any idea what some people think of you?"

Jack aimed a finger at Cliff. "Watch it, spanky. Don't forget who you're talking to."

Cliff buttoned his lip. He certainly did know who he was talking to: the guy he worked for. Without Jack's money, Cliff wouldn't be able to afford to live here anymore. He'd have to move. Go back home. Without Ann. He couldn't live with that.

Gray on the other hand, _didn't_ work for him. In fact, Gray jumped at the opportunity. "Well, since he won't, I will. Jack, you were a pretty cool fella when you first came here in Spring, but since the end of Summer, you've been a real drag, you know that? You walk around like you own this place? What's wrong with you?"

Jack just leaned forward, a stone cold mask on his face. "I'm the guy who could kick your worthless hide from her to hey-day, Gray. So my suggestion is this: watch your mouth, or you'll be suckin' the rest of your meals through a straw. What's your problem, anyway?"

Gray frowned, his head leaning back like a cat being pushed into a corner. "Don't think I can't handle myself, Jack."

Jack shot to his feet, a fiery look blazing through his eyes. "Fine. Let's dance, you little shit."

"Outside?" Gray said, standing up.

Jack hand shot out and grabbed Gray's collar. Using his strength, a strength unequaled in Flowerbud, he pulled Pray across the table, his back on it, his head leaning over the edge. Jack raised his fist and smiled with glee. "Right here's fine by me."

Jack's fist soared down towards Gray's face, ready to take his head clean off his shoulders, when suddenly a force took his arm, twisted it back, and a sweeping leg took his feet out from under him. Ann pushed on his arm until he fell backwards, landing on his back. "Knock it off, Jack!" She cried.

Anyone else would have had the wind knocked out of them. But Jack had been landing on his back for years. What they called in the business as "knowing how to fall" Jack landed flat on his back, the impact spread out over his body instead of localized in one place. He immediately lifted his legs and kick-flipped onto his feet.

Gray scrambled to his own feet and backed away. He'd been in his share of tumbles, but Jack was impossibly strong and unbelievably fast, a combinations of two things that weren't good for Gray. He breathed heavily, wanting to run, but not wanting to run. He chose to stay. "You wanna know what my problem with you, Jack? Mary! That's right! I heard about your little visits with Mary, your so-called "book reading"."

Jack rolled his head around, cracking his neck. "You got a problem with that, Gray? Or are you just made because I got Mary's attention before you did? I heard you and Mary were quite close before I came along."

Gray was quiet for a bare second, then he sputtered, "That has nothing to do with this. I care about her enough to know she shouldn't have to fall in with a no good jerk like you. You're just like those clowns in my old tech school class. Everything revolves around them. Nobody willing to do for others. That's your biggest problem, Jack: everything you do centers around _you_."

Jack nodded, "Maybe that's because everything _does_ revolve around me and you just don't know it, hillbilly. You ever think about that?"

"No, I think Gray's right, Jack." Cliff said, "You do things for yourself. Even when you hired me, it was only so you could get a hired hand."

Jack turned to Cliff and yelled, "That's right! And if you what to KEEP that job, you'll shut up, slick!"

Cliff stepped forward, "My name is CLIFF!"

"Your name doesn't mean shit to me!" Jack said. He took a step forward, but Ann's hand shot out and pushed him back. He stared at her, as if she had the nerve to tell him what to do.

"Go home, Jack." She said.

"I'll go home when I'm ready." Jack said.

Ann sighed, lowering her eyes. "Jack, don't make me hurt you."

"I don't think you'll do that, will you?" Jack asked, looking her in her eyes. The instant her eyes met his, she knew what he meant. He still knew he had slept with her, but no one else did and as long as he held that information, she couldn't hurt him. Because even if she beat him till he was a bloody mess, all he had to do was say one sentence: _"I slept with Ann."_ And everyone would know. They would know she had come full circle and turned into her mother.

Ann's face became mask of worry. Even when Cliff stepped behind her, comforting her with his assuring hands on her shoulders, she still felt naked before Jack. She might have been the only one in the village who could have out-fought Jack—by tooth, nail, and claw—but he had proven to be the stronger, because he was the only one who could make Ann back down from him. She couldn't lay a finger on him.

Before the stand-off could explode, likely with Cliff, Ann, and Gray wrestling with Jack, the door to the Inn burst in and Barley came in, barely being held back by Duke and with May tagging next to him. "Board up the Inn, Doug! It's-a comin', it is."

Doug came in and everyone momentarily forgot their quarrel. They approached Barley. "What's coming?" Jack asked.

Barley looked to Jack, "Well, it's about time I found you, Jack. I went by your confounded farm and you were gone."

"This may come as some surprise," Jack said, "But I do more than stand around the farm and look pretty."

Duke grunted, "I found the old coot trying to go down the road as fast as he could. He's lucky he hasn't slipped on the ice patches yet."

"Got no time fer that nonsense, Duke. We gotta get the town boarded up, we're in fer some big trouble." Barley spat.

"Grandpa, don't yell." May said.

Jack furrowed his brow. "You're not making any sense, Barley."

"A blizzard." Barley said, lifting his withered old elbow. "I can feel it in my joints. They get to achin' in the cold, but when a blizzard's on the way, they hurt something fierce. You'd better get home and lock up the critters and such, cause it's a big one. This one just may bury us for a week."

Jack looked at him strangely. "Is he for real?"

"He may be an old coot, Jack, but he's no fool." Duke said.

Doug nodded, "He's right. Barely's bones have never led us wrong before. He predicted both of last year's blizzards. Barley, is it going to be as bad as those?"

"Worse!" Barley said. "Worse than both at once. We're in fer a storm, I'm tellin' ya. Mark my words!"

Duke turned to May. "May, get him back home. Barley, we'll take care of warning the villagers and then start boarding up the rest of the village. Jack, Gray, Cliff, come with me. Doug, you warn the Mayor and Harris."

Everyone walked off with Duke, until they got out of the Inn and when Duke and the others cut left, Jack cut right. Duke paused, "Jack, we need your help! Where are you going?"

"Every man for himself." Jack called back, and without another word, he left them to their own fates. Let God worry about the rest of the village, he had his own problems to worry about.

XxXxXxX

Jack immediately went home and turned on the satellite tv. Sure enough, there was a huge cold front blowing through the area and it'd be a hum-dinger, if the weatherman's reports were going to be true. What a load of horsedump, Jack thought. It was going to blow right through Christmas. He'd be stuck inside during the holidays.

He pulled some boards out of the barn and started piling them outside. He locked Bilbo in his stable and Belle in her barn, then boarded up their doors, making sure they had enough for at least a week, just in case. He did the same for the chicken coop, piling up nearly all of his stored food on the feeders so they wouldn't starve. He hoped they'd be fine.

Once that was done, Jack boarded up his house, windows and all, and made sure he stocked up his firewood for long enough. He had plenty of food. He'd be alright. Already he could feel the cold, cold winds blowing in front the north, the distant rolling clouds that signified that trouble was on the way. Jack would have suspected something even if Barley hadn't said anything.

He heard a shout and turned. "Jack!"

He almost collapsed when he saw Mary running, huddled in her light coat and hood. She stopped before him, looking up, but unable to say anything. "I can't stay long. Mother is with Sasha and Manna, trying to get our food for the snowstorm and father is with the other men helping board up the town. Why aren't you with them?"

"Screw them." Jack said, "I've got my own farm to worry about."

Mary sighed, breathing in deeply and exhaling, "Jack...I'm sorry."

"For what?" Jack asked. "For why?"

"Because I can't see you anymore." She said, her voice wavering slightly, "Because my being with you upset my parents so much, I can't bear to see my family in so much strife. Jack, I can't be with you."

Jack couldn't have looked more shocked than if someone had shot him through the neck with a compound bow. "What? Mary, come on...you can't be serious."

"Jack, my parents mean everything to me."

"Don't _I_ mean something to you?" He asked.

"Of course you do, Jack. Of course, you mean so much to me...but this thing with my family—my mother especially...I can't bear to see my family broken." She began to cry, "I won't stand for a broken home, Jack, I just won't. Please don't be angry at me, I never wanted it to be this way."

"But Mary—"

"That's just us, there's also—"

"Mary, I love you."

Jack's words stopped her. Mary looked up at him again. "Wh...what?"

Jack leaned down, cupping her face in his hands, as he had done so many times before. "Mary, don't tell me you don't feel the same. Our reading nights, the way you kiss me, the way we talk...oh God, Mary, when I talk to you I finally feel like I'm talking to someone on _my_ level. Everything clicks in my head when we talk. Please...stay with me." He held her hands.

Mary lowered her eyes from his, "There's more to it than you know, Jack. I...I love you too, but...I don't know what kind of love that is. Is it true love? Just the love of friends—good, strong, wonderful friends, but friends nonetheless? Or is it something we both don't know? I don't know, I've never felt this way about anyone before, but...I don't know if it's worth me losing the love I have with my parents. I don't want them to hate me for this, Jack."

"Mary, you can't let your parents dictate your life! You're your own woman! You can make your own decisions, can't you?"

"I don't know." She said, unable to staunch her tears any more. She leaned up and kissed him gently, her tears running around their lips as she did. Suddenly, she spun around and ran off, crying out, "I just don't know!"

Jack watched her go, his mouth worked into a scowl. She was gone, perhaps forever. Would he never see her delicate face again? Fell her tender, soft touch? Would he ever be able taste her kiss again? Laugh and joke with her as they read books? Would they never do that again?

Jack hung his head down and walked into the house, locking the door and sitting in his recliner before the fireplace. He had come here to relax, to enjoy his time and his own books. Every time he looked at a book, he wished Mary were there and suddenly, Jack couldn't find the strength to even read any more.

It was all just too much.

XxXxXxX

The snowstorm came just like Barley had said, but that was no surprise to Karen. He was always right when it came to his bones. He always had a knack for knowing about those things. It was something a young person like Karen wouldn't be able to pull off. She contemplated what it would be like to be in the Bahamas during the winter.

Sitting alone in her room, the only thing she had to keep her company was the ceaseless howling of the snowstorm. It was like the sound of her empty heart, she mused. Because there was no one inside it with her. She felt her cheeks flare up every time she thought about it. She hadn't seen Jack for over a month and now his very face was engraved into her.

Gone, she could have been _GONE_ if it wasn't for him. She'd stayed so she could, what, have a boyfriend? Like she couldn't find one outside the village? No, not one like Jack. Not one as handsome, daring, and charming as Jack.

Should she have been glad she got interrupted, or angry? One more second and she would have fulfilled the most complete form of love with Jack, given him all that she could give. He already had everything else, but what was it? Was it love? Or, perhaps, was it just her body aching for him?

She went back to her usual boredom buster: throwing a dart at a map, then looking up that counter in her assortment of atlas books. Right now, she was looking through Bombay, India. She so badly wanted to see other places, other lands, other cultures.

The door to her room opened and Sasha walked in carrying a plate of supper. "Sweetheart, are you hungry?"

Karen turned away, "No."

Sasha sighed, her brow furrowing. This girl was going to give her wrinkles too early. She set the plate down next to Karen, who gazed through her books with disinterest, hoping her mother would just go away.

"Sweetie, you haven't talked to me for weeks." She said, "Please, I just want you to talk to me."

"About what?" Karen said, suddenly angry without even knowing why. "About how I can't be an adult?"

"Adults do _not_ try and shag like dogs in the Hot Springs." Her mother said.

Karen turned the most vicious glare at her mother that she could and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you and Duke the only ones allowed to do that?"

Sasha's eyes widened, her fists clutched at her dress as if she were resisting the urge to simply smack her daughter silly. She couldn't say a word, or she knew she would simply cry. She cried anyway, unable to control her emotions.

"What does it take to show you I care, Karen? If it takes tears, then here they are. Does it take me dying for you to know that? Love isn't some word you throw around like candy. Because like candy, when you toss it around so easily, soon it wastes away into nothing. Karen, you don't know what love is. I know, but when you talk about Jack, I don't see love in your eyes."

"You're wrong." Karen spat.

Sasha shook her head. "I think you're just trying to prove me wrong, Karen. You just don't want me to be right. Honey, I'm not going to say I told you so or rub something in your face. You don't have to make such a fuss over this. Jack is only a boy, there are plenty of boys, but I am telling you Jack is not the right one for you."

Karen stared bitterly into nothing, her own tears spilling down now. It seemed like she had been crying too much, hurting all the time. Why couldn't she just be her own woman? "Just leave me alone." Karen said harshly.

Sasha wiped her eyes and stood up, "Don't let your food grow cold." She walked out of Karen's room.

Sleep came fitfully for her that night. She couldn't dream of anything but Karen walking out into the snowstorm, trying to reach Jack's. Or worse, Jack taking her daughter out of the village and out of her life forever. She saw herself dying without seeing Karen again, never holding her baby girl again.

Then Karen was a baby, an adorable baby in her arms. Her husband by her side, admiring their precious child. Their life of love, tending to the store while toddler Karen waddled around and gurgled; young seven year old Karen scraping her knee and her mother made it all better.

But those things were gone now. Her daughter, if she liked it or not, was her own woman. But Sasha wanted to spare her the pain, the hurt of not seeing what she could so clearly see herself. Why couldn't Karen listen to her? Was it because she knew, deep down, that Karen had to hurt herself in order to understand? She could slap her hands away from the stove for only so long, but the burned hand taught more than the warning slap.

She woke up only once, having thought she had heard the sound of a door closing, but it was likely a limb hitting the roof. She went back to sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, on Christmas Day, she found the board in front of the door had been taken down with a hammer. Her heart seized in her chest and she ran to Karen's room.

Her daughter was gone.

XxXxXxX

There was no two ways around it: Jack was miserable. He hated this snowstorm. It was oppressive. He felt like he was choking. All those stories about cabin fever were starting to come true. He had never been this miserable. His only companion was Frodo, who he petted and cared for as best he could, but the dog seemed disinterested in him lately, as if he didn't know Jack very well.

The storm howled outside, raging against the house at three in the morning. How bad was it going to be? Would the snow cover up his entire house? Would his animals be okay? It was only day one, but Jack wasn't going to take any chances by peeking. The wind could rip the door off the hinges if he wasn't careful.

He thought about the girls, too. He thought about Mary, so smart and beautiful in his eyes, yet she seemed to almost look through him.

Loving Popuri. She cared for him without cause, simply adoring his very presence. It was a raw, unfettered kind of emotion that she evoked in him.

But Karen...oh, sweet Karen, he could taste her very essence just thinking about her, every inch of her form, could hear her screaming his name...

Screaming his name? Usually a girl wasn't screaming his name unless they were at the end of a date. He snapped himself out of his day-dreaming and heard a frantic pounding on his front door and a female voice screaming at the top of her lungs, "JACK! JACK! JACK!"

"What the...who could be so stupid...Holy crap!" Jack jumped out of his chair and found his claw hammer, working to removed the two-by-fours that had boarded up his door, all the while someone was pounding on it. Jack finally pulled the last of it away and made sure he opened the door with his full weight against it. A slender form immediately rushed in with a blast of cold air and a few buckets of snow. She helped him push the door back, holding it while Jack hammered the boards back into place.

Finally, he tossed his hammer down and looked at the heavily coated figure standing before him. She pulled the hood away and Karen shook her light brown hair out, then fished herself out of her coat.

"Karen!" Jack said, "What're you doing out in the storm?"

Without a word, Karen simply leapt into Jack's arms and wrapped her legs around Jack's waist and her arms around his neck. "Oh Jack! I missed you!" She took his face to hers and proceeded to kiss Jack, very violently, as if he were a drug and this was her fix. Jack simply fell backwards onto the bed, feeling that familiar feeling he'd had when Mira had burst in on him. She had kissed him in much the same way.

After a few hard to breath moments, Jack finally managed to get her off of him and he sat on the bed while she paced back and forth in his living room.

"I just had enough of my mother and her smothering way of life. I have to _live_, Jack!" She said. "I have to live and breathe, I can't hole myself up and not make anything of my life. I can't stand it here anymore."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you staying?"

Karen stopped in front of him, her arms crossed. She looked up him, hoping she was telling him the answer he wanted to hear. "You, Jack. I stayed here for you."

"Story of my life." Jack muttered, then said, "Karen, going out into that storm was incredibly stupid. You could have been killed."

"It was the only way." Karen said, "To make sure my mother wouldn't come after me. I'm tired of being chained down, like a prisoner. You don't chain me down, Jack. You make me feel so...free."

"I have that affect on people." Jack said, "But I'm glad you stood up to your mother. You can't trust people, people are disappointing. If you put your faith in people, they'll disappoint you every time. You gotta make your own way in this world, Karen. That's what I did."

Karen sat next to him. "What _did_ you do, Jack?"

Jack was quiet for a moment. "I was a professional wrestler. I traveled the world. I made a lot of money. I came here to Flowerbud not just because of my grandfather, but to make sure I'd be spending my golden years watching the grass grow and fishing and not busting my hump in a sweaty bingo hall, bleeding for dollars to a bunch of bloodthirsty fans who only want to see you hurt yourself into a crippled state."

Jack didn't know if that was something he should have told Karen, but he felt he had to tell it to someone, like it was something he couldn't hold in a second longer. Cliff knew, but Cliff was Cliff. Karen was something else. The way her eyes somewhat glazed over, taking in that bit of information, she didn't know just what to think.

"Have you...traveled?" She asked.

Jack nodded, "I've been all over this world, Karen. From one corner to the other."

Karen sat down on the bed. "Tell me about it, Jack. Tell me about the world outside this village."

So Jack told her. Everyplace he'd gone, every culture he'd seen, every city he could remember. Karen soaked it up like a sponge, hanging on his every word; her eyes shining as she saw in her mind's eye the place Jack had been to. He glossed over his profession, but that didn't matter to Karen. She only wanted to hear about the exotic locations.

Day came, but it didn't matter to either of them. There was no day or night in this place, only the perpetual howling of the winds outside. Karen yawned and said, "I want to sleep, Jack."

"Well, go ahead and take my bed. I'll crash on the couch." Jack said.

Karen looked at his bed. "Jack, I'm... I don't want to sleep in your bed. My bed is more like a couch, so I'd be more comfortable on the couch."

Jack shrugged, his tongue and Karen's tongue biting on the same idea: why not share the bed? But neither said it and Karen simply approached him and lovingly locked lips with him, before she said, "Night." And plopped onto the couch. Jack kept a few candles lit, in case she needed to see.

Jack felt his blood boiling inside of him. A week or so with only him and Karen. The temptation was so great, and now there was no one to interrupt them. He turned the lights out and hopped under his bed, falling asleep, dreaming Karen, so very close to him.

A few hours passed, and suddenly he was jolted out of his sleep by a pair of arms snaking their way under his, from behind. He turned to see Karen, sliding into bed, her sly face illuminated by the candle on his nightstand. He wrapped his arms around her, his senses suddenly alive as he felt nothing on her but the bareness of her skin, the soft flesh sliding next to his, her hands rubbing his bare chest.

Before he could even say a word, they were kissing. Their kissing led to the close groping that was all too familiar to them now. But it was just a formality. Karen didn't want another round of flesh grabbing, she wanted to see where this was all going, to finish what they had started at the Hot Springs. Jack was out of his pajamas in a heartbeat, every part of him eager to love Karen the way she wanted.

That night, Jack and Karen fulfilled their desires in the flickering candle light and, for the first time in a long time, Jack was happy. At the end of it all, he held Karen to his chest, stroking her hair with his hand. She nuzzled his neck and whispered, "I love you, Jack."

"I love you too, Karen."

And then, as soon as she fell asleep, Jack cried silently, as if a part of him had somehow died, as if he suddenly understood everything.

"Oh my God." He whispered, "What have I done?"

A sharp pang in his head hit him. He clenched his teeth, his body tightening in pain, trembling until it made Karen wake. When she stirred, he went still. She looked up at him. "What's wrong, Jack?"

"Nothing." He said, wearing a grin, "But, ah, you can call me Ace, kay?"

She smiled. "Okay...Ace."

At the back of his mind, Jack could only cringe in the darkness of his own mind and cry silently.


	30. The Farmer's Capture

**CHAPTER THIRTY: "THE FARMER'S CAPTURE"**

"Merry Christmas, Jack." Karen said the next morning, when they woke up. Jack stirred and coughed. It was cold, unbearably so. He leaned towards Karen, who gave him a kiss on the cheek and sidled out of the bed. He admired her until she disappeared and leaned back in bed with a smile on his face and his arms behind his back. Life was good.

_This is wrong, and you know it_ a tiny voice said.

Jack opened his eyes and sneered, ignoring it.

_Don't ignore me! You said it yourself, we're not much without each other and I'm telling you that you're going to end up hurting everyone around you._

Jack...Ace, merely shrugged.

Suddenly, the forefront of the bit of his mind known as Jack, came forward with sudden force and that tiny voice sounded like a bullhorn right next to his ear.

_I'M NOT LEAVING, ACE!_

Ace rolled his eyes up, their pupils vanishing temporarily as he struggled to shut out the voice. When he finished, he sighed and rubbed his temples. They were splitting now, the headaches were getting even more painful. Jack didn't even fully understand the depth of how bad his situation was. He still only barely understood that his behavior wasn't just a change of feeling.

Jack didn't realize he was being torn apart on the inside.

He woke up and saw Karen, robed now, standing over him. "Jack? Are you okay?"

"My head hurts." He said. Jack suddenly looked at Karen and felt his heart split. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat.

"_Oh my God...what have I done? This is even worse than me and Ann!_"

"_Shut up! Quit complaining."_

But Jack didn't heed the tiny voice of Ace, who cried and hollered like a demon with a voice you could hear. He sat up, ignoring Karen's bewildered look. "I think...I think we may have made a mistake."

Karen stared at him for two seconds, the reached out and slapped him. Jack fell back, feeling the sting of her hand.

"Oh? So now _I'm_ a mistake?" She cried, "I fought my parents tooth and nail, Jack! I stayed in this lousy village, suffered it every day since Spring, so that I could have a chance to be happy with you and now you say it's a _MISTAKE?!"_ Her cry turned into a shrill scream and she jumped up, "My God, my mother was so right. You're a jerk, Jack! You only wanted me for one night...probably so you could brag to your idiot friends, is that it?"

"No!" Jack cried, jumping out of bed in only his boxers. "You don't understand, I mean, I think we jumped a little too far ahead. We should slow down, try and get our heads on straight, take things slow. Start it off as friends.

Karen turned a venomous glare to Jack. "You're an idiot, Jack! I thought we _were_ friends! But every time you saw me, it was nothing more than a chance for you to slid your hand up my shirt!"

"Hey!" Jack cried, his anger, the kind hat had kept him alive in the cut-throat pro wrestling business for so long, returning full force. "_You're_ the one who jumped into the river with no clothes on. _That _was all you, Karen. Once you got a touch, you weren't satisfied with just that—you had to go and get more and more each time. I didn't hold a gun to your head and make you stay."

Karen, scowling, crying again, said, "I stayed for _you,_ Jack."

Jack ran his fingers through his hair. "You stayed for _yourself_, Karen."

Karen grabbed her winter clothes and began piling them on. Outside, the howling continued, but hadn't died down entirely. It was, however, quieter than before. Jack didn't have to ask her what she was doing, he knew. She intended to leave. Well, fine. Jack grabbed the claw hammer and pulled the boards off the door again.

_It's a snow storm outside! That's suicide!_ Jack knew.

_Who cares? Let the crazy broad do what she wants._ Ace said back.

_She cares about me. She cares about you. Doesn't that mean something?_

_It means she'sex-girlfriend #8 now_.

Karen fitted herself into the last of her clothes and turned to Jack, her face nothing but a mask of contempt and hurt. "Good-bye, Jack. I hope you find someone who _isn't_ a mistake."

Jack just rolled his eyes. "That's not what you said last night."

Karen looked as if someone had shot her in the foot. "You son of a...I hope you choke, Jack. The only person who enjoyed themselves last night was _you_."

Jack lifted an eyebrow. "You trying to tell me you didn't enjoy yourself, too?"

"No, Jack." Karen spat, "As a matter of fact, I didn't. You...you treated me like some kind of...rag doll. You smothered me and-and-and you didn't care if you were hurting me or not and...and the cursing...my God, Jack, did you have to curse at me like that?"

Jack shuffled from one foot to the other, suddenly unable to think of a thing to say.

Karen swiped her eyes angrily. "My mother taught me to think that what we did was supposed to be a gentle, beautiful thing—a true expression of love between two people. After last night, I don't want the kind of love you'd give me, if you're behavior last night is any indicator."

Jack felt as if he were six inches tall.

Karen grabbed the doorknob.

Jack cried, "Wait, Karen, don't go!"

"Go to hell, Jack!" Karen said, and thrust herself into the snowstorm, letting Jack's door fly hard into the wall as the gale force winds battered the landscape. She strode into it without a fear or caution, keeping her head down as she vanished into its depths. Jack shut the door and plopped onto his couch.

"What have I done?" He said to himself. "What...what's wrong with me?"

_Be a man!_ The voice cried.

Jack snarled. "No. I'm not like that! I'm not like I used to be!"

_You always have been, you louse! You just don't realize it. How're you going to survive in this world being soft on people. People aren't soft on you._

"I don't want to be like this anymore!" Jack bellowed. Suddenly, his headache turned into the worst migraine Jack had ever felt. He fell to the floor, gripping his head, tears of pain flowing from his eyes. The pain was so excruciating, he couldn't even scream.

XxXxXxX

The next thing Jack knew, he was surrounded by darkness. He was well aware of the darkness, was standing on hard ground, but could only see himself. Odd, he mused, how could he see himself without any light.

_BONG_!

The sound of a large, distant bell chimed, like a church bell. Jack looked around. "What's going on?"

_BONG!_

_Thump...thump...thump..._

The sound of approaching footsteps, slow, methodical. Then the girls sang. He could hear them, but not see them, three girls voices singing in a taunting tone. Jack blinked. This couldn't be real. It just couldn't.

"This isn't real." Jack said.

"_Are you scared?"_ The girl's asked, then continued their chanting.

"_Welcome, Jack." _Ace's unmistakable voice said, _"It's about time you showed some spine and came to fight me, man-to-man."_

Jack spun around, but saw nothing. "I don't understand."

Suddenly, from out of the darkness a figure came strolling. From the imposing look about him, it looked like a juggernaut—ten feet tall, eight hundred pounds, and bullet-proof. The closer he got, the more Jack cringed away, until at last he was standing in front of...himself.

Not just himself, but himself as he had been: Ace Valentine in full regalia. Heart-lined black tights, shoulder length hair the color of dark chocolate, a goatee and mustache that spoke mature volumes, rippling muscles drawn taut, ready to snap out at an instant. A smug, evil smile on his face.

Ace stared eye-to-eye with Jack, the farmer and the wrestler meeting once again. "Of course you don't understand, Jack. You've kept your eyes shut for so long, you don't know the real world from the imaginary one you live in."

Jack stepped back, Ace inching ever closer. "I don't live in an imaginary world, you...you...you..."

"I'm Ace."

"_I'm_ Ace!" Jack cried, his back reaching something hard. He turned and looked, seeing his back up against a set of tight cable ropes covered in red tape. The kind around a wrestling ring. Ace approached him and held his hands on the ropes at both sides of Jack.

"Yes, yes you _were_ Ace, when you were in the business. But, then again, you weren't really Ace, not after I jumped forward."

Jack shook his head, "Who are you?"

"I'm you." Ace waved his hand in the air. "More specifically, the part of you that you had to become to survive all the back-stabbing politics of the professional wrestling circuit. I had to take control, because your nice guy attitude would have kept you buried until you just gave up...like sparky, your farm-hand. He doesn't have that part of me, he's unwilling to form it because he's not driven like we were. He's star-struck, still picturing himself at the top of the world without the talent or drive to get himself there."

Ace took a step back, crossing his arms, "Remember the weeks leading up to the Ten-Man Tournament? Remember the taunts? The laughter you got because you entered? What did you do?"

"I got mad." Jack said, "I snapped and I put a man into retirement."

"You shook up the world." Ace hissed, "You came out of that like a bullet out of a gun. There was no stopping you. You went through the best of the best until you had aced them all. That was _ME_, Jack! You didn't have the constitution to do the things I did. You think it was all you fighting off those twelve security guards to throw that one, famous cold-cock into The Baron's jaw? And what did that one punch do? Showed the world that even law-enforcement wasn't going to stop you?"

"You think it was you who stood up to Big Daddy Baker in that Rage in the Cage match, when you lost three pints of blood and should have, by all means, died on the canvass? That was me that dropped his big five hundred pound carcass down for the pin. You think it was you that set the world on fire, that made his movies so big, so that you were giving the world Ace Valentine even when you had a broken bone or a herniated disk? You think it was all you?"

Ace leaned in close now, his face in Jack's. "You think it was you Karen was making eyes at? You think it was you who broke down Ann? You think it was all you? You think it's you? That's a laugh, Jack. A riot, I tell you."

Jack swallowed, but he knew Ace was right. Jack hadn't done this things, Ace had. Every time he got pumped up for a match, it was like being possessed, just like lately. Now he understood, now he knew what was going on.

But what could he do? The damage was done. "People hate me now." Jack said, "People who liked me when we first got here. What good are you if everyone here comes to hate me?"

"What good are _you_ if your Boy Scout attitude leads to nothing but hugs and kisses. Hanging with kids? Picnics? You're complete pussy!" Ace cried, "We used to be the toughest of the tough, the pinnacle of greatness and now you're dragging me through picnics and sunshine like it's some kind of great thing. Well, I'm telling you now, Jack! It ends now! I won't stand for being made a fool of! I won't sit here and let you ruin the reputation I took so long to build up."

"But no one here knows who I am!" Jack cried, "No one knows Ace Valentine, that was the whole point of moving out here!"

"It means no one respects us." Ace said, "It means they all think we're just some chump from out of town."

"Why should they think otherwise? What good would it do?"

Ace reached out and slapped Jack across the face, back-handed. "I didn't go from one continent to another, bleeding my blood, sweating my sweat, and steam-rolling everyone who stood in my way just so some Podunk bumpkins can think ill of me."

"You can only command respect in a wrestling ring, Ace." Jack said. "But you can't force people to respect you. Now Karen hates me because of you. Mary can't see me anymore."

Ace nodded, "But pinky still has the itch. I figure as soon as the storm blows over, I get her over for some dinner, slip her some wine, and she's butter in my hands. Gotta do it fast, before she hears about Karen, too."

Jack suddenly felt enraged, but it was hallow, empty, void of it's searing drive. He felt as though he couldn't summon the energy to even be angry. Ace laughed. "What's wrong? Can't get angry? Of course not, because every time you get angry, it's always _me_ who's behind it. If I'm not there, you can't summon much more than a hissy-fit."

Jack knew he was right. Over all things sacred, he was right! Ace was a part of him that he couldn't reach...and Jack was a thing that Ace couldn't become. They were two halves of the same person. He couldn't do without Ace, it would be like living without your spinal cord or with no bones in your body...he was essential to Jack.

"You keep your hands off Popuri!" Jack said. "She doesn't deserve you, Ace! She's...she's..."

"A good girl?" Ace said. "Not when I'm through with her."

"You don't touch her!" Jack cried, swinging out to take Ace's head off. His swing, however, was weak and striking Ace's jaw was like striking a stone statue. His hand glanced off and Ace laughed, "Weak. Just like you. You said I can't command respect in anything but a wrestling ring. Well...looks like you need to start showin' a little respect." He gestured with his hands and Jack saw that they were, indeed, inside a wrestling ring.

"This isn't real." Jack said with surety.

Ace reared back and drove his fist into Jack's face, right on his right cheek and the young back flew backwards into the ropes, shot forward, and Ace caught him at the throat with a clothesline that took Jack off his feet. He landed awkwardly, his back suddenly flaring in pain as his old injuries were torqued around in ways they weren't supposed to.

Ace stood over Jack and raised his size thirteen boot and proceeded to plant it on Jack's chest, gut, and face, stomping on him until he rolled away. Jack got to his feet, his head throbbing, his chest and gut on fire. He glared at Ace. "You can't get rid of me, Ace! You need me."

"Nobody needs you, Jack." Ace said, stalking forward. Jack swung at him, but he missed and Ace drove his fist into Jack's gut, doubling him over, then planting a hard elbow at the back of Jack's neck. Jack fell to the mat, his eyes seeing nothing but stars.

Ace strolled around Jack like a predator playing with its prey. "And do you know why no one needs you? Because you're just...passive, like smoke in the wind. Me? I'm the wind blowin' you away. You let others roll over you. I can't take that. I can't help it, but let's face facts: I _need_ be in charge of what's around me. Who can respect me otherwise?"

"Don't touch her." Jack snarled, trying to rise to his feet. Ace snapped his foot out and kicked Jack in the side. The young farmer curled into a fetal ball. "You can't kill me!" Jack hissed through his teeth.

"No, but I can shut you up good." Ace said, grabbing Jack by the hair and hauling him to his feet. "Sorry about this, Jack. I warned you, but you just wouldn't listen. It's too bad it has to be this way, but from now on..._I'm_ in charge!" He lifted Jack up in a pump handle slam, but when he brought Jack down, he dropped to one knee and Jack's entire weight slammed down on his right shoulder, which Ace had brought down on his knee.

Jack had been hit with his own finishing maneuver: the Mountainside Massacre

He lay there, crumbling, his vision fading not back to his house, but out of sight entirely, into a stark blackness. And then, he was alone, unable to do anything but hear the howling winds of the snowstorm in his ears. "Popuri...I'm so sorry. I wasn't strong enough." He said softly, but could not muster anything more than that.

XxXxXxX

Sasha pounded her fist on the table. "Jeff, you have to do _something_! You have to find her! She could be _dead!_" She felt her angry tears stinging her vision and swiped at her eye angrily. Jeff looked to his wife, but shook his head. "Sasha, I can't go. It's too dangerous! The winds are too high and the temperature is too low. I can...I can make it to Harris's perhaps, but nowhere else. I can't face this kind of weather and neither can you."

"We have to do _something_, Jeff!" Sasha cried. "Our little girl is out there!"

"She's not a little girl anymore, Sasha." Jeff said, "That's what she's been trying to tell you for so long. She's not a little girl any more, we can't expect to keep holding her back."

"She's going to get hurt! Jack is going to hurt her!"

"Maybe..." Jeff sighed deeply. "She needs to be hurt to understand."

Sasha looked to him, wanting to thrash him for suggesting such a thing, when her hand reached up and touched a part of her cheek that had once been tenderly bruised. Had she learned until Duke hurt her? No, she thought she was above it all. Just like Karen. She couldn't be hurt, she thought. Duke had proven otherwise. Jeff had never so much as raised a finger at her.

Would Jack hit Karen? She hoped not. She hoped—

Suddenly, the door to the General Store flew open and a coated figure fell down on the floor. Sasha rushed into the Store and saw the light brown hair spilling out from the hood. "Karen!"

Jeff rushed to shut the door while Sasha pulled her daughter off the floor. She pulled the coat off her and Karen looked up at her mother. The moment she saw her face, she exploded into tears and wrapped her arms around Sasha. "Mama!"

"Karen, it's okay." She embraced her daughter tightly. "It's okay, it's okay. Everything's fine now."

"No, it's not." Karen said. "It's not okay...mama..." She looked her mother in the eyes, "You were right, mama. I'm so sorry I yelled at you. You were right and I was wrong!"

Sasha just hugged her daughter even tighter. "It doesn't matter anymore, Karen. It doesn't matter anymore. You're okay now."

"I'll never be alright." Karen said, her voice muffled by her mother's shoulder. Sasha stood up, supporting her daughter as they walked to her room, whispering comforting words to her. But at the back of her mind, a searing fury was building. She knew something had happened. Jack had hurt her, had hurt her terribly. She suspected she knew how, but she couldn't be sure. If Karen wanted to tell her, fine. If not, well that was fine too.

All that mattered was that her daughter was home now and she was safe.

_The burned hand teaches more than slapping the child's hand away_ _from the hot handle_, she thought, recalling her own mother's words to her while she was pregnant with Karen, _Sometimes, it's the only way they learn._

Sasha just wished Karen hadn't been burned so badly.

XxXxXxX

The snowstorm lasted two more days and it finally died down enough to go outside. Jack—with Ace firmly behind the wheel—broke into the world like a creature stirring from a slumber. The snow was waist deep and it took some doing to get the door open and even more to getting some snow-shoes working. He used those boots that looked like tennis rackets tied to the bottom of your boot to move around, but found that all his animals had fared well and even needed a bit of food.

He fed them, brushed Bilbo, and looked around to make sure no permanent damage had been done. None had, so he left it at that and went for a walk into town. He knew he couldn't do anything, but he just had to get out of the house. Nearly a week bottled up in that small house was about to drive him insane.

The snow was crisp and fresh, but there was only a slight wind tugging at him. Wrapped up from head to toe in his thick parka, hood, and scarf around his face, he marched down Farm Row and soon arrived at the Poultry Farm, knocking on the door.

The door slowly opened and Rick peered through. He spied Jack and nearly gasped, "Jack! What're you doing in a snowstorm?"

"The snowstorm's over, Ricky-boy. Just flakes now, but the snow's a bit deep."

"You want to come in?" Rick asked.

Jack laughed, "No, I figured I'd just stand in the snow and freeze to death—Of course I want to come in! Open up, dolt!"

Rick seemed off by the change of attitude in Jack, but he didn't know. He opened the door enough to let Jack stumble inside. He lowered his hood. "Wow, I'm surprised this dump hasn't caved in yet. It's awful out there."

Rick held a sneer back, "Yeah, it's pretty bad. I'm glad you're here, maybe Popuri will stop bouncing off the walls."

"Oh yeah, where is the little princess?"

"In her room. I'll go get her." Rick said.

Jack stopped Rick in mid-stride and walked past him. "That's okay, Ricky. I'll handle it."

Rick felt his cheeks burning. "I don't advise you to go into her room unannounced. Mom doesn't like it. And stop calling me Ricky."

"Sure thing, Ricko." Jack said, stepping up the stairs as if he hadn't heard him. He took the left and turned knob, stepping into Popuri's room. He looked around at the populated room, filled to the brim with stuffed animals, pink drapes, a pink comforter, and a vanity mirror outlined with hearts on the mirror. It made Ace want to puke.

Popuri was in front of the vanity mirror, brushing her hair, when Jack burst in and spied him in the mirror. She blinked a few times and spun around, "Jack?"

He spread his arms. "Not really, but close enough."

Popuri squealed in delight and bounced out of her chair, running towards him and into his outstretched arms. She squeezed him tightly. "I missed you, Jack."

"Yeah, you're a sore sight too, pinkie." Jack said, running his hand through her hair. "Bet ya missed this." He reached down and tried to kiss her, but Popuri twisted her head embarrassingly, letting him graze her ear.

"Jack!" She said, trying not to blush. "Not in my room, where my mother could see."

"Aw, who cares." Jack said, trying again to kiss her. Popuri giggled and let him smooch her on her cheek, but pulled away after that. "What brings you here?"

Jack, grinning, just shrugged, "Just wanted to check on my favorite girl with pink hair. Soon as this snow dies down and melts away, you should come and give me a holler. Have some dinner with me."

Popuri giggled softly again, "That sounds wonderful. As soon as the snow dies down, I promise. But, why don't you get going? Mama's gonna be up soon and I need to help her."

Jack ran his fingers down her hair, "Why not let Rick take care of it."

"We both pitch in. Rick needs to go take care of the chickens." Popuri said, her smile fading a bit. Why was Jack being so strange, so insistent all of a sudden?

Jack shrugged, "Suit yourself. You know where I'll be."

Popuri patted his arm playfully, suddenly remembering something, "Oh, I almost forgot." She dashed across her room and grabbed a red-and-gold bowed present, about the size of a breakfast bowl, and handed it to Jack. "Merry Christmas. I know it's a little late, but I was thinking of you."

Jack held his hand no. "Keep it. Bring it when we have dinner, kay?"

She nodded. "You take care, okay, Jack?"

"I always do. You be good, pinkie." Jack said, and turned to leave, giving Popuri and playful pat on her behind as he turned to leave. Popuri stiffened uncomfortably. That was a first, no doubt about it. Maybe Jack was becoming a little comfortable when it came to their relationship...or what passed for one. She felt apprehensive because Jack was so kind and sweet, but he never really acknowledged the two of them. She wished so badly he would call her his girlfriend, at least make mention of it.

As it was, she was just the girl next door, sneaking occasional kisses from him. But that didn't mean he was shallow, did it?

No, she shook her head. He was just a little closed-in, that was all. Maybe...maybe at dinner she should ask him. That would help draw him out. Yes, that would do them both a world of good.

Besides, If Jack didn't like her, why would he kiss her and dance with her? It had to be because he cared for her. It just had to be. She made a mental note to make sure she would have dinner with him on New Years Eve, start the new year with her sweet boyfriend.

Jack left, but Popuri was still thinking about him when he was gone. She had those idle thoughts that young girls fancied. Like repeating her name in her head, or rather the name she thought she might have in the future.

"Popuri Harris." She said to herself, scrunching her nose. "That sounds terrible."

XxXxXxX

As Mary lie asleep in her bed that night, she heard the window open and sat up, smiling. Her Beau, as she had come to call him during these late night visits, had been missing since the storm had started. He sat next to her, taking her in a kiss of greeting. "I missed you." He said.

"I missed you as well." Mary said, "It's...it's going to be so much harder now, with my parents not wanting me to see anyone."

"Mary, no matter what, I'm going to stick through this with you."

Mary shook her head. "That's the thing. I told you before...my mother doesn't want me seeing anyone anymore. Anyone at all. It's just...so complicated. I think that we should...stop seeing each other for a while."

If she had hoped he'd understand, she was mistaken. She could see the hurt in his eyes. "But...but I love you, Mary."

She cupped his cheek in her hand, lifting it to meet her eyes. "If you love me...you'll honor my wish. Let me smooth things over with my mother, get back to the way things were before...before everything happened. I...I need some time to myself, too. This is all so new, so different. I'm having such a hard time grasping it. I just want my mother's blessing first."

He sighed, "Do you promise that once your mother gives her blessing that you'll come see me?"

Mary nodded, "I promise."

"Mary...you know about me and Karen, right? You know about us, don't you?"

"I know everything. But I don't care." She cupped his cheek again, stroking it lovingly. "Just do this for me. Please?"

He sighed and nodded. "I'll think about you every day."

"I will too." She leaned forward and they kissed again, for the last time in a long while. Because of that, it seemed all the more sweet to them. Long after he had gone, Mary lie awake in her bed, weeping terribly because this hurt so much, to love him and having to drive him away. But what choice did she have?

She couldn't love him like she wanted until she took care of Ace.

XxXxXxX

Jim Black walked into the offices of the AWF wrestling HQ and was dumbfounded to find the offices empty, save for some boxed items here and there. He made his way down to Aaron St. Claire's officer and found the man inside, his blazer off and his tie loose, sipping a scotch. He spied Jim Black, "Come in."

"You don't look good." Jim said, "What's going on?"

"It's over, Jim. I can't believe it, but it's over. The business is over with. No one's coming to see the matches, no one's buying the Pay-per-views, and no one cares about anything my company does because Ace Valentine isn't a part of it. I had to throw in the towel. I can't pay my expenses, I can't pay my staff, and I can't pay my talent. I'm out of business."

Jim Black saw the writing on the wall. "That means you can't pay me, right?"

"That's right." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash, "This is what I want and I want your solemn promise on this." He tossed Jim Black the cash, "I can't keep you bank rolled on the Ace Valentine case forever, not with me having to declare bankruptcy like this. So this bit of cash is an incentive. Go back to your regular job, do what you did before," He leaned closer to him, "But you keep one eye out for that snake that worked for me. If you get any whim, and whiff of him, you tell me, got it?"

Jim Black nodded, "Don't worry. I owe Valentine one or two. I'll keep my eyes open for him, no matter how long it takes. I'm gonna find him, St. Claire. And when I do, you'll be the first one to find out."

Aaron St. Claire took a swallow of scotch. "Want a drink?"

Black nodded and had a scotch poured before he knew it. They raised their glasses.

"Merry Christmas, Jim."

"And a Happy freakin' New Year, St. Claire."

They downed their scotches and left that part of their life behind, moving on, yet still clouded in a past that was dominated by Ace Valentine.


	31. The Calm Before

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: "THE CALM BEFORE"**

New Years Eve, affectionately known in Flowerbud as New Years Eve, was the setting for what Jack had hoped would be the greatest accomplishment he could achieve. With the persona of Ace firmly in control of all he did, he had only one goal that night and that was Popuri.

She'd be easy to woe, he figured. A little song, some wine like last time, a few sweet nothings in her ear, break down her barriers, and she'd be spread-eagle before the new year hit.

Outside, the Winter was passing. The cold was dim now, as a warm front was coming through that same night. Tomorrow, it was sunshine and springtime, they said. Funny thing about the weather in Flowerbud, it changed the very day the seasons passed. Odd, but not unheard of. He'd kept Cliff out of the farm for most of Winter, since there was little work to be done. But Spring would bring with it more crops and more animals...if he felt like it.

Jack set the table. He had made some chicken parmesan and pasta, some homemade sauce and garlic bread. He lit some candles, dimmed the lights, and set some music playing. He himself was dressed in a nice dress shirt and some slacks. No belt, he wanted as little resistance as possible. Not that he expected it of Popuri, who already melted in his hands with a little kiss.

He paused after lighting the second candle. Something nagged at him. A little tug that told him having dinner with her just so he could shag her was as low as low could get. He shook his head. No, it wasn't. It was his only option now. Mary refused to see him because of her parents and Karen would never speak to him again even if she wanted to. Elli, the only other eligible bachelorette in town, was as cold as a witch's nipple in a brass bra. She'd never warm up to him. And Ann...well, he had done it once, but he had caught her unprepared. If he tried to charm her again, it was doubtful it would work.

He heard the soft knocking and smoothed over his hair in the mirror. "Showtime." He said, putting on his most charming smile. He opened the door and Popuri stood there, shimmering in the pink dress she had worn last time. The dresses she wore always had the billowing bottom and modest top. This one was no different and seemed more like something a spoiled princess would wear. Her hair was built up in much the same fashion, with the exception of a wreath of flowers. He pointed to them, "What's with the flowers?"

"Jack, don't you remember? This is the wreath I wore during the Spring Harvest Festival. Our first date."

Jack nodded, "Oh, of course. How silly of me. Come in, aren't you cold?"

She strolled in easily, not wearing a jacket. "It's cool enough outside. I just love Spring and I'm glad it's almost here. It reminds me of when we first met. You'll have been here an entire year, Jack."

"In a few weeks, it'll be a whole year." Jack said, shutting the door. "Come on and sit. Let's eat."

They dove into dinner enthusiastically, Popuri providing most of the conversation. Jack listened, replying only when he needed to. He kept wishing he could just fast forward through the date to the end, that was all he was concerned about. But he humored her and stared at her, trying to imagine her without her clothes, hoping the moment would come when he didn't have to imagine a moment more. And Popuri, oblivious, simply talked and looked lovingly into Jack's eyes. He had slipped her more wine than she normally drank.

The finished dinner and went to dancing, but Jack made sure they moved right into the slow songs she loved so much. She loved to plaster herself against his side, settling her head against the top of his chest, sighing occasionally. "Jack...isn't this romantic?"

"Sure is." He said, his hand going down to the small of her back, pulling her lower half more tightly towards him. "I think I know how it can get better." He said.

She looked up at him, blushing. "How?"

Jack took Popuri in a long, deep kiss, probably the longest she had ever kissed him. Every second that passed, she felt herself falling deeper into her embrace with him. Her mind heedless of everything around her but him, pulse racing, lips greedily kissing again and again until she felt something: the edge of the bed against her legs.

Suddenly, Jack grasped her and fell, bringing them both onto the bed. Popuri yelped, but thought little of it again, his kissing masking his hands roving. It wasn't until his hand reached her bare knee and began to slid upwards that an alarm went off in her head. She reached down and put her hand against his to stop him, but he kept going. Of course, when could she do against him? He was stronger than she was and when he didn't stop, Popuri suddenly realized what a mistake she'd made in letting herself fall onto the bed in the first place.

She wrenched her lips free, "Jack, stop." She said. When she looked at Jack, she almost felt like she were looking into the face of a viper. The look in his eyes, a look she hadn't seen before, was like a carnivore, eagerly gorging itself on the very sight of her. His hand only stopped once he had reached his intended destination.

Popuri's mind, clouded by passion, suddenly snapped into its rightful place and she was flushed again, but not from enjoyment, but rather a stark fear that Jack was doing something she _knew_ was wrong. She sat up, tugging at his arm, "Jack, stop it!"

But Jack snaked his other arm around her, holding her from behind. "Come on, pinkie. I'm not gonna hurt you. Just relax and have a little fun."

Popuri shut her eyes, now feeling very much ashamed, on the verge of tears. "Jack, I'm not having fun! Let me go!"

"Will you hush up! You'll be alright!" He pulled on her.

"No! No, Jack, I don't want to!" She cried, springing forward, but still in his grip. Her hands grabbed something heavy by his bedside. Jack growled, pulling her back and Popuri took hold of the heavy object and brought it up, turned, and then down across his face with a loud _'THWACK!'_ Jack fell back, surprised, holding his nose. Popuri sprang up and ran towards the door, dashing outside before Jack even had a chance to run after her.

The second she was gone, he cursed loudly and punched the side of his bed. Looking down, he saw that he had been struck with his 3-in-1 volume of Lord of the Rings, a heavy book that must have been five pounds.

All he could do was sigh loudly.

XxXxXxX

Popuri ran into her room and shut the door softly. She had snuck into the house just as quietly, not wanting to wake her mother from her early slumber. Rick was in the bathroom and hadn't heard her come in. She locked her door. She didn't want to be disturbed.

She sat down at her vanity mirror, where the small shrine had been dedicated to Jack. Various pictures of him in a variety of sizes. The glass rose he had bought her sat in a small vase, a shimmering reminder of a gift she had adored.

Popuri bent over and her tears came fully now, her face flushed as bright as her hair. The burning feeling of Jack's hands grasping at her where they shouldn't have broke her down, made her feel...dirty, used. What he wanted, she couldn't give it to him. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

Oh, but she did want that. She did want nothing more than to love Jack to the fullest she could, but her convictions and morals were a stronger chain than her own desires. She would not, could not, give herself to anyone before she married and she had sworn it for years, to her mother's bedside she had sworn it, and she remained celibate because she..._knew_ it was the right thing.

Jack had been so wonderful to her. This past year, everything had been like living a dream. From the moment she had seen his handsome face by the Hot Springs, she knew he was more than some usually town stranger and she was right. How he had romanced her. Oh, but how he had kissed her, held her, danced with her. All of it so wonderful until now when he looked at her and wanted nothing more than the basest of male urges.

And that hurt more than anything else: that for so long it seemed he was the sweetest guy, to have him now trying to undress her felt like she had been torn into two pieces. If someone had shot her in the chest, the bullet would have passed right through the shattered remains of her heart. Why had he changed? Why was he different? Why couldn't the Jack she loved come back? What happened to _Him?_

With a longing sob, she swept her hand angrily across her vanity table, scattering her makeup and hair pieces. She took the glass rose and tossed it across the room where it shattered into a thousand pieces against her closet door. Broken.

XxXxXxX

Spring came just like they said it would, but as Jack stood out in the field, small grass sprouts poking up, patches of snow still melting, birds chirping happily, Jack just wanted to shoot the finger at all of it. What a complete and utter load of crap, he thought. Stuck in this town without any female company.

He'd blown it now. So much for his vaunted de-flowering of Popuri. The girl was clad in a chastity belt that was stronger than iron, curse her little goody-two-shoes...well, just as well. The last thing he needed was another hanger on. He could get Mary to come with him, that was a small matter of some striving and a little persuasion. If nothing else, perhaps he could just pay Anna and Basil. Money was always a good persuader.

He heard a sharp whistling and saw Cliff strolling out onto the farm, waving happily. "Mornin', boss! How goes the good fight? I take it you had a good Winter? I tell ya, I sure did. Me and Ann spent every day together. I got so sick of eating snowballs thrown by her. Which reminds me, we gotta get some good tomato crops for the tomato festival this year. I am to beat you solid again this year."

Jack just looked at Cliff and said, "Shut the fuck up."

Cliff stopped, tilting his head to the side. "Wh-what's wrong?"

"Everything's wrong! This town sucks, the people suck, and your happy-go-lucky attitude is the absolute _LAST_ thing I want to hear in the morning." He yelled.

"Sounds like _someone_ got up on the wrong side of the bed." Cliff said, laughing.

"Shut up, you idiot. I want three rows dug before the day's done, so get to work, sparky."

Cliff looked blankly at him, "You...you're gonna help?"

"I'll help you when and if I feel like it. Get to work." Jack shot his finger at the field.

"Jack, it's too soon after winter, the ground is too hard. We should wait a week or so for the earth to soften."

"My farm, my rules. Get to work, you slacker." Jack shot back. He had barely managed to get out through the entrance when little May came running up to him.

"Hi Mr. Jack. Wanna play?"

Jack looked down at her. "Go home, May. The farm's no place for a little kid. You could get hurt."

May looked at him, unsure of what to do, wondering why Mr. Jack was so mean all of a sudden. "But...but I thought we could play around a little."

Jack sighed and snapped his arm out, pointing to the direction of her home. "Go home, you little brat!"

May's face scrunched uncomfortably and she began to wail. She turned around and ran all the way back to her home, her cries following her as she left. "Go on. Run home to gramps." He called after her.

Jack entered town and made his way straight to the Library. He entered and found Mary and her father, Basil, inside. They spied him and silenced. Basil took a deep breath. "Come in, Jack. Mary and I were just talking about you."

Instead of taking the tactful approach, Jack sneered, "If you've got something to say, say it to my face, not behind my back."

"Jack!" Mary said, then her eyes widened, "Ace?"

Basil ignored his daughter. "Jack, have a seat." He gestured to the chair. "Let's talk."

Jack crossed his arms. "I'll stand, Basil. What do you want?"

"Well, Anna and I were talking about you and Mary. If you wanted to date Mary, we're willing to set a few rules—"

"Screw you and screw your rules." Jack said. "Mary's an adult, she can make up her own mind about what she wants to do, can't she?"

Basil, shocked past words, could only stare at Jack, this brazen individual who had just strolled in as if he owned the place. When he did snap to his senses, he narrowed his eyes angrily. "Jack, that's the rudest thing I've ever had someone tell me. You can forget about it now." He looked to his daughter, "Mary, your mother was right. Stay away from him." Basil brushed past Jack and left the Library.

Mary stared up at him and as soon as the door shut, she leapt around the table. "Ace? Ace, what're you doing here?"

He smiled his charming smile, but it no longer had its effect. It was a greasy, slime-ball small that only spoke one thing: Jack wanted to sleep with whoever he flashed the smile at. "Just wanted to see your pretty little face. I figure you owe me the answer to that question I asked you."

Mary narrowed her eyes, "You mean do I want to be your little throw-rug, always ready for sex whenever you want it? Why? What a meaningless existence, Ace. You know...I _thought_ I loved the man that came here...but that man was Jack. The only way you get me is if you leave Jack alone."

"Come on," He said, reaching out to try and stroke her hair. She wrenched back.

"You're a pig, Ace. I heard. I heard what you did to Karen. It's not widespread, because miss Sasha wants to spare Karen complete public humiliation, but all the mothers have been warned that you're just window shopping with us girls. Look around, try out one or two of us, but commit to nothing."

"So you want me to marry you?" Jack asked, "I'd rather be shot."

"And I'd rather you left. I hate you, Ace, but I love Jack and I hate this _entire_ situation I've been put in the middle of!" Mary swung her fists up and down, angry again. "You're a masochistic pig! A self-loving ego-maniac who doesn't care who he hurts unless he gets what he wants! A jerk and—"

_SLAP!_

The next thing Mary knew, she was on the floor some feet away, her glasses fallen to the floor, broken apart, her face stinging, her ears ringing loudly as she looked up at the imposing Jack who had, with so little effort, reached out and struck her with the back of his hand. She gaped at him, her heart tearing slowly, like someone ripping a piece of paper in half, and her tears came slowly. "You jerk!" She cried.

Jack just stared down at her with a sneer. "You watch your mouth around me, little girl." With that only warning, Jack left her on the floor where he had put her and walked out. The moment the door shut, Mary buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Why had it come to this? She believed to strongly that she could help him, but he didn't want her help. She began to pick up the piece of her broken glasses.

XxXxXxX

At the end of the day, Jack had taken a bit of his frustration out on the soil and found out just why he should have listened to Cliff. The ground was indeed as hard as a rock and by the time nightfall came, he was tired and Cliff was nearly into a coma. Still, ever defiant of anything that stood in his way, Jack and Cliff tilled the soil the next day until they had the rows that Jack wanted.

Cliff, again, warned Jack against planting so early in the season, waiting until the ground softened, but Jack ignored him.

Walking into the General Store, he found Karen manning the register as always. The second he entered, her face darkened, but she said nothing. Jack snatch some seeds, he didn't even look at them, and approached the register. She rang up his seeds, but paused. "Jack."

He lifted his eyebrow.

"Jack, I did a little thinking and...I think maybe you were right in a way. Maybe we were taking things a little too...fast. Maybe...you think we could start over again? Like you said? Try and start off on the right foot?"

Jack shrugged, "I guess we'll see."

For the first time in a long while, Karen smiled the smallest of smiles. "Okay. I'll...I'll see you later, okay?"

Jack nodded and paid for his seeds. Perhaps he had gotten things off on the wrong foot with Karen. She still wanted to see him. All he had to do was hunker down and have a little patience, maybe even leave the village and take her with him. A trip to Paris would soften her up a little.

He saw nothing of Popuri for the next week. The young girl even saw him coming down the road and took another path to avoid him. He shrugged her off. If he could get Karen back, who would need her?

But his troubles weren't just with girls. Jack carried a chip on his shoulder all week long and anyone unlucky enough to talk to him got a big piece of that. Gotz asked him if he needed any help with house expansion projects and Jack told him, "I can build anything I want, you moocher. Find work somewhere else." And then told him what he could do with his axe. (It didn't occur to Jack at the time not to tease a very large man wielding an axe)

Zack, once a cheerful friend of his, soon grew to hate the trips to his house after Jack told Zack he was a "glorified mailman who couldn't make it as a bouncer, as if that was a hard thing to do."

Jack insulted Gray every time he saw him, which earned him the ire of Saibara, who was one of the most respected men in the village. Barley didn't take well to Jack's hollering at May, but said nothing and soon May was back to her routine of running around the Yodel Ranch. Still, he could see a bit of life had drained out of her. She seemed so much less active, as if she had no more motivation to play like a little girl any more.

People passed him on the street and said nothing. That didn't matter, Jack would ask them if they were too good to say something to him. When they did say something, he belittled them. Jack paid them no mind. They would learn to respect him or else.

Or else...what?

He couldn't figure that one out.

XxXxXxX

On Monday, the second week of Spring, Jack was in the middle of washing his hands in his small pond when Harris strolled onto the property. Jack was already angry because Cliff hadn't shown up for work. He soon found out why.

"Jack." Harris said stiffly, and Jack knew something was up.

"What do you want, Harris? I haven't done anything to anybody."

Harris just took a deep, calming breath and put his hands behind his back. "Correction, you've offended quite a lot of people and I've come to get you. We're Holding Court."

"Holding Court?" Jack asked, "Why? For what?"

"Because of you, Jack. Because the town is, quite frankly, fed up with your attitude and antics. The town is voting to kick you out."

"Kick me out!" Jack cried. "They can't do that."

Harris just walked off with Jack on his heels, "According to the foundation laws laid at the village's outset, they can and will. It was put into effect to prevent people we don't desire from entering the village and staying. It's a part of your land owning contract, so your ownership isn't an issue. You can keep the land, but you can't live on it."

"That's me? Undesired?" He cried.

"Frankly...yes. The town has to have a completely unanimous vote in order to do so. If only one person votes to keep you, then the vote in nullified."

"Let me guess," Jack said, "They only do this when the town is unanimous, right?"

"Correct. However...we've never done this before. You're the first."

"Oh don't I feel privileged." Jack sneered.

They arrived at the Inn and Jack stormed ahead, seeing all of the village gathered—even May, Stu, and Pastor Carter. Lillia, Ellen, Gotz...everyone who lived in the town was present. Popuri sat near her mother and brother, both of whom glared at him as if he were scum. Popuri only lowered her gaze when he looked her way.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" He bellowed. "If you've got a problem, say it to my face."

"That's what we're doing, Jack." Duke said.

The Mayor, as his small table with his gavel, knocked on the wood lightly. "This Court is now in session. The matter of the people of Flowerbud against Jack Harris. I'll open the floor now to anyone who wishes to speak why they believe Jack should be cast out of the village once and for all and Jack will have the last word to defend himself.

The first one to stand was Duke, who eagerly cleared his throat and said, "Ever since he showed up, he's put his nose into business that's not his. He's made it his business to get himself involved with everything and that his way is the right way. Frankly, I've had enough of it. I want him gone."

Sasha stood up next, "Jack Harris has brought the town nothing but grief. He's a conniving womanizer and as arrogant as arrogant can be. He intimidates people, he mocks us openly, and worst of all...he hurts those all around him. I don't want him here anymore. I shouldn't have to live in fear, wondering if the next one he curses at will be me...again. My vote goes for him to leave."

Anna stood up. "Jack thinks he owns this town. But like Sasha says, I believe him to be a womanizer who _used_ to get what he wanted. But the second he didn't get what he wanted, he goes flying into a rage. And during one of these rages...he struck my daughter in the face as if she were nothing more than a dog."

This turned the tide of the people as a swell of murmurs rose and people looked to Mary, who kept her eyes on the floor. Jack tried to turn an accusing glare to her, but she never even met his eyes. Anna scoffed, "Oh, don't think she told me, Jack. She's too proud, thinks that she can handle this, but obviously this matter is beyond you and her. I saw you strike her. Who do you think called this meeting?"

Jack narrowed his eyes at Mary, wanting nothing more than for her to see his accusing glare, but a voice, a soft melodious voice, caught his attention when she said, "Jack?"

He found himself looking into Popuri's eyes and his heart shattered. As if the hurt he had inflicted on her hadn't been enough, now she had to hear of him striking Mary. At that moment, the chains bound up around Jack loosened and he jumped forward.

_Do you see what you've done, Ace? You hurt people who don't deserve it. You can't backstab these people. This isn't the locker room of a wrestling promotion, it's a village. These people have lives! They have hearts! They gave you nothing but kindness and you repay them with their own blood!_

The procession continued. Jeff stood up. "Jack hurt Sasha, he talks to me like I'm garbage, and he meddled with the tabs of the citizens. I vote against him."

Basil stood up, "Hitting my daughter aside, Jack's proven to be nothing but an arrogant jerk. He talks down to me like I'm nothing compared to him."

"Because you're not." Jack said, but the Mayor shushed him.

Basil sat down, but Zack stood up, "Er...I'm not one for confrontation, but I haven't approved of Jack's behavior at all."

Rick stood. "Why does my sister keep coming home and crying whenever she goes to visit him? Why does she even bother with him at all? You all think I hate Kai, but it's _nothing_ compared to what he did to my sister and _NOTHING_ compared to what he did to Mary. Jack's lucky I don't knock his block off right now."

Jack spread his arms, recognizing a situation he could control, one he was familiar with: someone threatens him, then kick his hind end. "Bring it on, little man."

Rick glared at Jack, but made nary a move towards him. He knew when he was outclassed. Jack nodded, lowering his arms, "That's what I thought."

Cliff stood. The Mayor said, "Cliff, you're not a part of this village. You're vote doesn't count."

"I know, but I want to have my say." He sighed, looking out at every one. "Ever since I got here, I've been the luckiest guy in the world. I'm surrounded by wonderful people, my job was good—for a while—and I found someone I can be with." He cast a small smile to Ann, who smiled as well. "And I owe Jack. I owe Jack all of this because he brought me here. But I can no longer ignore the fact that Jack's behavior is unacceptable. He does all those things and then he treats me like trash in a way you guys don't see. I can't take it and it may mean my moving, but...I think Jack should leave for good. He doesn't belong here, that much is clear. This town is too good for him." He looked to Jack, "Consider that my resignation, Jack." Cliff sat back down, crossing his hands in his lap, avoiding Jack's eyes.

The Mayor looked around at the rest of the village. "Does anyone have anything else to say?" When no one came forward, he nodded, "Alright, Jack. You have a chance to defend yourself."

Jack strode forward, as if he wanted to clock each and every one of the people there. When he saw their accusing stares, their looks of contempt, something within him snapped and if there was anything left of the old Jack, it vanished entirely and Ace Valentine came out fully, yelling in a final fit of frustrated rage. There was no more Jack Harris—only Ace Valentine.

"Do you people know who I am? DO YOU? DO YOU _KNOW_ WHO I AM? I'M JACK HARRIS! I'M THE RICHEST SON OF A BITCH ON EARTH, THAT'S WHO! I CAN BUY ALL YOU PEOPLE TEN TIMES OVER. I CAN BUY THIS VILLAGE AND EVERYTHING IN IT. AND YOU THINK _I'M_ THE ONE WHO HAS TO LEAVE!"

He lowered his tone, but not by much. "Backstabbing politics? Whiny girls striving for my attention? Surrounded by people who hate me. I didn't move out here for this. I MOVED OUT HERE TO GET _AWAY_ FROM THAT CRAP!"

Cliff strode forward. "Jack! Listen to yourself! What's wrong with you?!"

Jack stepped forward, putting his face into Cliff's. "Get outta my face, you loser. I give you the world and you spit in my face? I gave you a job when you were broke on the side of the road and this is how you repay me? I should have left you in that rotted old bingo hall. Your career was a result of the real you: a loser. You're what I called a Jobber for Life. A perpetual loser who didn't have what it takes to make it big. You wanted a showdown with me? Well, here's your shot, champ!"

Jack spread his arms out and Cliff, at the very brink of his tolerance, snapped and drove his fist into Jack's iron-clad face. Jack's head snapped aside, but snapped right back to face Cliff and he sneered, "There you go." And he punched Cliff in the stomach, doubling him over, then driving his knee into the young man's face.

Cliff flew backwards, but Gray shot forward. Jack turned and hit Gray with a clothesline so hard that Gray flew backwards and his head struck the wooden-planked floor so hard it knocked a small hole in the floor. As Saibara went for his grandson, Duke and Gotz came forward, trying to grab his arms, but Jack slipped out from their grasp and kicked Duke in the gut, the hooked him and tossed him over his head in a suplex.

Gotz tried to take a page from Jack's book and went to kick him in the gut, but Jack caught his foot and twisted as he fell, hitting Gotz with a Dragon Screw hold. The carpenter hit the ground floor, groaning.

Jack stood up, the sole survivor of the small scuffle amidst a throng of silent, horrified people. Jack brushed his hair back with his hands. "Anyone else?"

Everyone only looked to him with a mixture of fear and sadness.

The Mayor banged his gavel. "Jack, that's enough. Bad enough you started a fight in Court, but to use that kind of language...I've never been this angry. Your turn is over. The vote is now. All in favor of removing Jack from Flowerbud." He raised his hand along with the rest of the village—even Mary and Karen, who snaked their hands up slower than the rest. "Good. All opposed?"

Slowly, silently, Popuri raised her right hand as if volunteering to take a man's place at the execution table. Rick stared at her, "Popuri, what's wrong with you?" He hissed, "Put your hand down."

Popuri turned to him, her face angry, "You shut up, Rick. I can make my own decisions!" Yet that decision seemed to be costing her quite a few friends as everyone looked to her, now, instead of Jack as the problem. If he stayed in the village

"Popuri." The mayor said, "Are you sure about this?"

"Just leave me alone." She said with her head hung low, "I'm voting in Jack's favor."

The Mayor lowered his head and knocked his gavel down. "We need a unanimous vote, people. If Popuri won't change her mind," He noted she was shaking her head slowly, "Then the motion is over turned. Jack stays. Court adjourned." He banged on his gavel again and the village let out a frustrated, angry sigh...all of it directed at Popuri, who shrank under their angry stares.

Cliff, now on his feet and nursing a bleeding nose, looked at Jack, "You're a real man, Jack. Picking on people who can't defend themselves from you. If being an asshole was a religion, you'd be the Pope."

Jack scoffed, "I think in Doug's eyes, _you're_ the one who needs to go."

Doug looked at Jack, then at Cliff, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jack laughed, "Oh, haven't they told you yet?" He flicked a gaze to see Cliff and Ann's eyes suddenly widening with horror; Ann pleading with him silently not to say any more. Jack ignored the girl who had just voted to boot him out, "Or have you been so blind that you really haven't noticed sparky there making the beasts with two backs with your own daughter. Oh, you didn't know that? Silly me, I've let the cat out of the bag."

Doug turned a stern gaze to Ann, who shrank under him and wanted nothing more than to just vanish into thin air. The rest of the village, if they thought something was wrong with this, just made disgusted noises at Jack. Ann silently cursed Jack and was only glad he didn't say what she didn't want everyone else to know.

Doug strode forward, his hands before him in a gesture of peace. "Jack...with all due respect, but keep your fat nose somewhere else. What goes on in _my_ house is _my_ business and I'll handle it when I see a problem, not _you_, understand?" The tone suggested to Jack that Doug was no fool when it came to parental issues. This guy was just like his own father. Jack nodded.

Jack then turned his eyes to Karen, Mary, and Popuri, "You three!" He said, snapping their eyes to his. "You've been nothing but a bunch of pains every since I got here."

Popuri swallowed, "Jack, please calm down."

"Yeah, you're only making things worse for yourself."

"Not that it matters." Jack said, "Not like any of you want me around any way. Of course before Christmas night, that's not what you thought, Karen. You were more than happy to have me here and the second I say something you don't like, it's back to mommy and daddy. I'm more than happy you didn't like being with me."

"Jack!" She nearly yelled it through her teeth and the ultimate look of fear masked her face, a well of tears building up as she dared not look at the questioning glares coming her way from the village she had grown up with. She might not have loved this village itself, but the people itself were her best friends, her family, and to have Jack say out loud that they had slept together...that was too much to bear.

"Jack?" Popuri asked, "Is that true? Did you ...and Karen...?"

Jack spun, "I'll tell you what! I know how to solve my female problems. I never want to see _YOU_—" He pointed to Mary, who jumped when he did, "—or _YOU—"_, He stabbed his finger at Karen, who scowled bitterly in his way as tears streamed down her cheeks, "—or _YOU_, _EVER AGAIN!"_ He laid the final proclamation at Popuri's feet and for a long moment, all she could do was stare at him, gap-mouthed, her eyes filled with the denial that Jack was so openly betraying her, so brazenly casting her aside after she had voted to have him stay.

When that reality sank in, Popuri began to cry and before she could fully come to tears before anyone, she leapt up and ran out of the Inn.

Jack turned to the village, sneered at them, and told them in no uncertain terms to kiss a rather unhygienic portion of his anatomy.

XxXxXxX

Hours later, Popuri heard the soft knocking on her door and said, "Come in."

The door opened and her mother and brother came in and sat down on her bed. "Popuri, we'd like to talk to you."

"Yeah," Rick said, "Like about how you voted to keep Jack in the village. Why would you want that arrogant jerk around? What's wrong with you?"

"Leave me alone, Rick!" Popuri said, turning in her chain, turning her back to him.

Lillia looked to Rick and touched him on his arm. "Rick, why don't you go start supper."

Rick sighed, but said nothing else and left, closing the door behind him, muttering under his breath. Lillia stood up and walked over to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her, cradling her head to her bosom. "Tell me what's wrong, little one."

Popuri sniffled, her tears—and she seemed to have shed them so much lately—returned, "Mama, I love Jack. I don't want him to go."

"But honey...hasn't he hurt you? Tried to take advantage of you?"

Popuri lifted her head, "How...how did you know that? I didn't tell anyone."

Lilla smiled sweetly. "I may be a lot of things, little one, but I'm no stranger to my own daughter. I haven't spoken anything, even after Sasha tried to warn me about Jack, because I know you're getting to be an adult and you have to make your own decisions. Besides..." She wiped away Popuri's tears with her hand, "I can see you love Jack, even after all he's done. I just hope, and pray, that you've made the right decision."

Popuri embraced her mother. "Me too, mama. Me too."

XxXxXxX

When those Holding Court had left, Doug closed the Inn early and approached his daughter and Cliff, both of whom were talking in hushed tones near the end of the bar. Ann, arms behind her and head lowered as she shuffled her feet, "Listen...dad, I just—"

"Go get three beers, Ann." Doug said, to which she nodded and left his sight immediately. "Cliff, come with me." He led the young man to a nearby table and sat him down, then sat across from him. Ann returned with the beers and handed them to Cliff and her father.

"Sit down, Ann." He commanded, and took a long drink from his mug as the two young adults watched him apprehensively, waiting as only a youngster in trouble can wait. When Doug polished off his swallow, he set the mug down and said, "I'm no fool, you two. I acted surprised in front of everyone, but the truth is that I'm not."

He turned to Ann, "Ann, you're my only girl. And no matter how old you are, you'll always be my darling baby girl. But you're growing up and I can't hold on to you forever. I'm no fool, like I said. I'm not outside your bedrooms or anything and I actually didn't know for sure but...I had my suspicions that you two were together an awful lot."

He turned to Cliff. "Young man, I'm sure she's told you our life was a sad story. It wasn't until my wife had passed away that I learned how she had been treating Ann behind my back. But for a while...there was love and what I saw in my wife's eyes I see in Ann's when she looks at you. You two are a couple, through and through, if I've ever seen a pair. And while on one hand I can't say it eases me knowing that the two of you are having such intimate relations...on the other hand I see how happy you two are. So...I want you both to know that you have my blessing. I won't stand in your way."

Ann leaped out of her seat and threw her arms around Doug's neck. "Oh Daddy...I love you, ya big lug." She planted a big wet kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner."

Doug shrugged, "Well, I know how it is to be young and in love. You _are_ in love, aren't you?"

"Oh, very much so." Cliff answered swiftly, "But...Well, I can't help but wonder what I'll do now that I'm jobless. I mean, I can't afford my own room unless someone's looking for help."

Ann turned to her father, her eyes begging. "Daddy..."

Doug rolled his eyes helplessly, "Oh Lord, help me...these youngsters are too much. Well, _ahem_, Cliff...if you're willing, I think an extra pair of hands around the Inn would be nice. I can't pay you, though."

Cliff's shoulders sagged. "Oh. Well, where do you think I would stay?"

Ann jumped off her father and landed roughly in Cliff's lap, hugging his neck, "You big dummy, with me, of course. I won't even ask you for room and board, so long as I get breakfast in bed every morning and provided you don't burn my eggs."

Doug laughed, standing up and ruffling Cliff's hair, "Welcome to the family, boy. You're in for it now."

Cliff could only half-laugh, half-whimper.

XxXxXxX

The weeks following Court were spent in solitude. Jack sat on his farm, day in and day out, only putting forth enough effort to make sure his animals were fed and nothing more. The days wore on and all he could do was sit there, bitter and angry that something was out of his control. He had his fill of the village and his food would run out in a few weeks, he run into town just for that.

Two weeks later, Jack received a message in the mail from the Clinic,

"_Dear Mr. Harris,"_ It started informally.

"_The Flowerbud Clinic reserves the right to deny anyone medical care for any reason without worry of legal reprisal. We are sending this letter in affirmation that we will no longer be your primary care provider. We are obligated by law to allow you within 30 days to find another provider before we can legally stop treating you. If you have anything to resolve, please do so before the thirty days is over."_

"_Sincerely, The Flowerbud Clinic Administration and Staff"_

Jack scoffed bitterly, _"Trasnlation: The Doctor and I don't want your sorry ass in our Clinic anymore."_ Jack crumpled the letter and tossed it on the ground. Looking out over his fields, he could see them over-run with weeds. His unplanted rows going to waste. He didn't care. He couldn't summon the energy to care.

He didn't care about anything or anyone anymore. It was as if the life had been drained out of the farm. A whole year. What had changed?

Everything.

His attitude, his outlook, his relaxing demeanor...all of it was gone now, replaced by a bitter, contempt outlook on this rustic village and everything in it. He strode back inside, where he had spent so much time the last few weeks and there, on his night stand, was his grandfather's bible.

"_I wonder if the good Lord has something He wants to tell me._" He thought sarcastically. On impulse, he ripped it open and stabbed his finger on a page at random and looked at what verse he landed on.

_Psalms 92:1-2._

"_It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night."_

Jack sputtered, "Thanks? _THANKS?!_" That settled it. He stormed out of his house and across his fields, past the Hot Springs and up the mountain path, across the long wooden suspended bridge and finally to the peak of Mother's Hill, the one place where he figured he could be as in God's face as he could be. When he reached the peak, he let the Almighty have it.

"_YOU THINK I NEED TO GIVE THANKS FOR THIS STINKING WORMHOLE OF A TOWN AND EVERY GOD-FORSAKEN SOUL IN IT? MAYBE YOU HAVEN'T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS, SO IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T, I'M GOING TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU! I-AM-GOD! YOU HEARD ME! I'M BIGGER THAN YOU ARE AND BIGGER THAN YOU EVER HAVE BEEN!"_

"_IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT? TO PUNISH ME? FOR WHAT? WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO YOU? FOR THAT MATTER, WHAT HAVE YOU EVER DONE FOR ME? WELL, I'M NOT PLAYING SECOND FIDDLE ANYMORE, I WANT A SHOWDOWN! YOU AND ME, GOD! RIGHT HERE...RIGHT NOW! BRING YOUR SORRY BUTT DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME ON MY GROUND AND SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE ACE VALENTINE."_

"_YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO? I'M GONNA LEAVE THIS STINKING TOWN AND MAKE THAT COMEBACK EVERYONE WANTS! I'M GONNA MAKE ACE VALENTINE SO BIG, YOU'LL WISH I WAS YOUR SON INSTEAD OF JESUS! AND I WON'T STOP UNTIL I'M IN THE GRAVE THIS TIME! NO ONE IN THIS TOWN IS EVER GOING TO SEE ME AGAIN...JUST LIKE THEY WANT! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO THAT, O' ALMIGHTY ONE? WELL?_"

Jack sighed, his voice hoarse from minutes of non-stop screaming. The sky, which was surprisingly overcast for spring, rumbled loudly with the sound of distant thunder. Jack grinned, "Well, looks like I pissed you off good, I did. We'll see who's bigger."

Jack turned around and suddenly felt his heart drop into his left boot.

The moment he turned around, he could see from his vantage point above Flowerbud that the sky in the distance was dark. Not a thunderstorm dark, but a sever pitch black with lightning arching every few seconds. Still far enough away that he could only hear faint rumbles, but he could feel that the wind had picked up as he'd stood there and was bringing with it a storm. A bad one.

Something in Jack didn't settle right. Something...something was wrong. He ran off the peak and down the mountain path, noting that Popuri was in the meadow, but he said nothing to her. He didn't stop until he reached his house and, breathless, turned on the tv. The satellite was fuzzy, losing its reception, but as soon as it was on he found what he was looking for as the newscaster spoke in front of a radar shot of the Gulf of Mexico.

"_And at the top of the hour, the big story is, of course, Hurricane Jack, a Category 5 of the strongest kind making landfall right at this central area right here, as you can see behind me. Residents are...take shelter...don't..."_ The signal faded and Jack was left there with a screen full of static.

Panic, fear, shock all hit him at once. He hadn't seen the radar long, but he knew where Flowerbud was on a map and that monster hurricane was about to plow directly into their home. Jack felt the sheer life and anger drain out of him as the first thoughts began to cross his mind.

"_My God, I'm the only one in town who knows. I'm the only one with a tv. I've...I've got to warn everyone!"_

Jack ran out through his door and into town, where the first drops of the monstrous hurricane was starting to fall.


	32. Storm of Ages

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: "STORM OF AGES"**

The rain pelted down steadily as Jack dashed straight into town towards Duke's house, which was technically the closest house to his that he could find. The winds were blowing harder than normal, picking up speed with every step he took. That hurricane was looming over the top of them, about to take their heads off. Jack knew if he didn't warn everyone, people would be killed. They had no preparation, no warning, no heed.

He arrived at Duke's house and didn't even bother with knocking, just yanked the door open and ran in. Manna, who was sitting behind the counter in her kitchen, saw Jack erupt into the room and screamed in surprise. "Jack!? What're you doing here?"

"Saving your butts!" Jack yelled, breathless from running. Man, he was really getting out of shape. His wind-span used to be huge, but here he was tired like a rookie. He chalked it up to no exercise and panic and a winter of indulging in laziness. The door came open again and Duke stepped in from the vineyard. "What's this? Jack, get out of my house!"

"Fine, but you're leaving too!" Jack said, pointing to the sky. "We're about to get hit by a hurricane."

Duke sniffed, looking down his nose at Jack. "Nonsense, we always get warning from Barley beforehand."

Jack grabbed Duke by his collar and pulled him to his face, "I don't have time to argue with you, Duke. A Category 5 is about to ram into Flowerbud! I saw it on my tv! Does the town have a storm shelter?"

Duke pulled himself away from Jack and looked out into the sky, gaping at the dark clouds approaching, then at Jack. "A Cat 5?"

"YES!" Jack said, "The storm shelter! Where is it?"

"Under the Inn!" Duke said.

"Get Manna there. I've got to run and tell the...the chicken people," Jack was so nervous, he could barely remember their names. "And Barley and May. You gotta warn the village!"

Duke nodded, "We'll split up. You head that way, tell Saibara and Gray. Go up the left side and get Zack. Round up the middle of town and we'll likely meet at the General Store. Go! Manna, come with me!" Duke yelled as Jack ran next door while Duke ran up to the Inn to let Doug prepare for everyone.

Jack dashed into the smithy to the surprised looks of Saibara and Gray, who stepped forward with a red poker in hand, "What do you—"

"Shut up, Gray. Both of you get to the Inn, there's a hurricane coming, a big one. Get to the storm shelter now! Duke's getting everyone else. I've got to get Popuri's folks and May and Barley and Zack!"

"When is it getting here?" Gray said, "We have to bar up the smithy!"

"It's here NOW!" Jack said, pointing to the window. Gray's face fell as he stared out the window at the ominous dark clouds and spattering rain. Gray spat out a curse and ran through the door into the village. Saibara looked at Jack, "I wonder when he'll remember he forgot me."

Jack looked at his watch, "3...2...1..."

Gray stuck his head back in, "Come on, pops! We gotta scoot!"

Saibara nodded, walking towards Gray. "I'm scootin', I'm scootin'." When the two of them were gone, Jack tracked across the wooded area to come out in front of Popuri's house. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He banged on it with his fist, yelling incoherently until Rick opened it up. "What do you want, Jack?"

"There's a bad hurricane about to hit town. You gotta get Poe and your mother to the Inn before it gets any worse than this."

Rick looked up at the sky. "It's just raining. Go home, Jack. You're full of it."

Jack snarled and finally had enough of it. He shoved the door open and before Rick could complain, Jack snapped out with a right cross and put Rick on the floor, out cold. "I don't have time to argue with you, Rick." He made his way upstairs, where Lillia's bed was.

For the brief moment when he encountered Lillia in her bed, he felt awestruck by the woman's beauty. For a moment, he wondered if Popuri would one day lie in bed like that, unable to get up. Who would take care of her?

He shook his head. No time to think about that now. He gently shook her shoulders, "Miss Lillia, you have to wake up."

She stirred and looked up at him weakly. "Jack? What...why are you in here?"

"Miss Lillia, there's a very bad hurricane coming soon. There's no time to get anything or prepare the house, you have to get to the storm shelter at the Inn right now. Can you walk?" He helped her sit up in her bed and swing her legs over the side.

"I'm afraid I'm a bit too weak to walk very fast, Jack. Getting into town would take me about thirty minutes."

Jack bit his lip. "Well, we don't have thirty minutes." He reached down and scooped the woman into his arms, despite her squeal of surprise, and began walking downstairs. When he came upon the fallen Rick, he sighed. "I forgot about him." He set her down, then pulled Rick into a fireman carry and then picked Lillia up again. With close to three hundred extra pounds on him, he had a bit of trouble, but it was nothing he hadn't done before. Jack marched through the woods with the two of them in his arms, through the now downpour of rain and finally reached the Inn in less than ten minutes.

He kicked the door in and found Ann, Manna, and Doug inside with a door in the floor behind the bar. Jack set Lillia down and then put Rick on the nearest table. "He's out cold, help him to the bottom." Jack said, heaving for breath.

Cliff looked at the prone Rick and then to Jack. "What happened to him?"

"He fought the Ace and the Ace won. Get him down there, I have to get May and Barley." Without another word, Jack spun around and was dashing through the woods again, making it to the Yodel Ranch in record time. He found the inside empty. "Hello?!"

"Jack?" A voice said. Jack went to the closet and opened it, looking down at a huddle Barley and May with only a flashlight in their hands. She squinted up at him. "Mr. Jack?"

"Barley, what're you doin' down there?"

"Hurricane, Jack." Barley said in a hushed tone, "Big one. My fault, I...I didn't feel it in time. Gotta do something. I can't make it into town, it's already here."

"I'm not leaving you two in a closet." Jack said, reaching down, "Get up."

"I'm too slow, Jack." Barley complained, "I can't walk fast enough."

"You're not the one walking." Jack said, reaching down and picking up May, then handing her to him. Barely took her and Jack scooped the old fellow up in his arms. Grabbing a nearby coat, he slung it over the two of them and then went out into the storm again. The winds were howling now, blowing the trees aside in a maddening dance of twigs and leaves, the rain falling hard now. He was about to step into the woods when a cry caught his attention.

Looking to the side, he saw Gotz and Harris coming up from the side path that led to Gotz's house. "Jack, what're you doin'?"

"Hurricane!" Jack cried, "A bad one!"

Harris ran up to him, "Are you serious!"

"As a heart attack, man. Look, go get Zack for me! He might not know yet. I got to run Barley and May back to the Inn!"

"Got it. Go on." Harris ran for the beach as Gotz followed Jack through the woods and into the Inn again, where he deposited May and Barley into the Inn. "Alright, you two get into the shelter."

May suddenly clung to his leg. "Mr. Jack, I'm scared. Will you stay with me?"

"Not now, I still have to...Sparky, who's missing?" He asked when Cliff ran up to him.

Cliff thought for a minute, "Uh, I think Duke went to go get the Mayor and, uh, the Doctor and Elli are still missing. So is Pastor Carter and..."

The door swung open and Karen stepped inside, brushing the rain off her slicker, "Whew, quite a storm outside..." She trailed off when she saw Jack, "So much for my afternoon of peace at the Inn. Excuse me, I'm going home."

Suddenly, Jack caught her arm and pulled her back. "That's no storm, Karen, it's a hurricane. Get into the shelter with everyone else. Where's your parents?"

"Hurri..." Karen gasped as the realization dawned on her, "They're at the Store. They have no idea."

"Right, on my way." Jack pried May off his leg and rushed out into Rose Square, hitting first the Clinic as it was right there in front of him. He burst in and found Elli and the Doctor, standing as calmly as you please and talking at the counter. They saw him, but before they could ask him, he told them, "There's a very large and very dangerous hurricane about to hit Flowerbud. Both of you have to get to the storm shelter at the Inn!"

"What?" They asked in unison. Suddenly, Elli's hand caught the Doctor's. "Jacob, my grandmother. She can't walk, how will I get her there?"

Jack groaned, "I'll go get her, Elli. And Stu, too. Doc, do me a favor and warn the Pastor; Elli, you warn Sasha and Jeff." Jack turned around and rushed off, his side hit with a bad pain as he ran as fast as he could for Elli's house. He ran across Duke, who was getting the Mayor from his house.

He saw Jack and said, "Basil, Anna, and Mary know. They should be on their way."

"Everyone else should know by now, too." Jack said, "I gotta get Ellen and Stu and that should be it. Doc and Elli are telling Ben and Jeff and Sasha, so we should be good." Duke and Jack exchanged nods and went about their separate ways.

Jack rushed into miss Ellen's house and found the elderly woman sitting in her rocking chair, reading a book to Stu. She looked up and adjusted her glasses. "Who's there? I can't see too well."

"It's Mr. Jack." Stu said, waving happily, "Hey, Mr. Jack. You come to play?"

"No," Jack said, coming forward, "There's a very bad storm coming. I have to get you two to the Inn and into the storm shelter. Stu, think you can take a little rain and wind?"

He nodded, pointing to his puffed up chest. "You know me, I can do anything!"

"Good, because I have to carry your grandmother." He said, reaching down to pick her up. Miss Ellen, however, didn't take too kindly to the thought. She reached over and grabbed her cane and proceeded to beat Jack senseless with it.

"You are not carrying me, Jack. I can take care of myself, I just need some time." She said.

"We don't HAVE time, the hurricane is here and you have to get to the Inn as soon as you can." Jack said. He was going to have to knock her out, he just knew it.

Ellen blinked. "Goodness, a hurricane, you say? Well, we'd better hurry."

"I'll carry you." He said, moving to try and pick her up. He got a cane to the face for his efforts.

"I told you, Jack, I'm not being carried."

"But you can't walk there in time!" Jack cried.

"Well, that's what my wheelchair is for." She said, pointing to the other side of the room, where Jack saw an old wheelchair sitting in the corner. As Stu helped her up, Jack fetched the chair and held it for her until she sat down in it. He then placed an old slicker over her to shield her from the rain. Stu came running out of his room in a yellow slicker and a pirate's hat. "I'm ready, Mr. Jack."

"Alright." Jack said, then smiled, "Hey, Stu...who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"

Stu looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

Jack shook his head. A sudden crack, like thunder, sounded, "Nevermind. Let's go and be careful." Jack wheeled Ellen into the storm, the rain coming sideways now and the winds heavier than they had been earlier. If there had been doubts before, there were none now...and it was only going to get worse. Pushing her like a Nascar racer at the Daytona 500, Jack sped her down the path, through Rose Square, and then into the Inn. Stu stayed close behind, like he had promised, and Jack brought them both safely.

"Last two!" He said.

Cliff shook his head. "Not yet. Sasha and Jeff haven't gotten back yet."

"Elli was going to get them." Jack said.

Cliff shrugged, "She said they had to get some things to bring with them."

"This isn't a damn campout, it's a hurricane." Jack sighed, his clothes were soaked, his body was drenched to the bone, but he figured since he was already wet...might as well get back to it. He rushed back through the Inn's doors and back down the Square and to the General Store, where he noticed something was different.

That crack he had heard minutes earlier. He had thought it was thunder, but he could see that it must have been the trunk of the thick tree that now had split the General Store in two. It had fallen right on the middle and crushed the home. If they hadn't come by now...

Jack's gut lit on fire as terrible thoughts rushed his mind. He exploded through the wreckage and went inside. He saw no one at first, heard nothing due to the wind and rain and howling...but then he saw a flash of black in the window leading into the back. He kicked the door in and looked inside, suddenly feeling very sick.

Jeff kneeled in their kitchen, his body hunched over the form of his wife, who was lying very still with the tree trunk pinning her legs, a terrible scrape over the side of her face, blood streaming in rivulets down her face. She was very white. Jeff, his pale face panicked, looked up at Jack, "The tree...it fell! Jack, I can't move her!"

Jack went forward and felt Sasha's wrist. His blood chilled as he felt nothing. He pushed harder and...there, a very faint pulse. He looked down and saw her legs pinned by the tree's fall. Not crushed, but certainly stuck. He set his face hard and turned to Jeff. "Jeff, you take her hands, you get ready, because this may be the only chance we have."

"Jack, we have to get help."

Jack turned away from him, his hands grasping the tree's underside. "Time is something we don't have."

"You can't do that!"

Jack put everything he had into turning his body into a flesh and blood 'jaws of life' as he pushed with his legs, lifted with his arms, and used every muscle he had into lifting something that, by all rights, he had no business even trying to lift. Jack let out a bellowing scream as he fought to move the tree, lifting as hard as he could in a monumental effort that Samson himself would have been proud of.

Finally, Jack couldn't lift anymore and he collapsed, his hands, cut by the hard bark, bled freely and his arms and legs screamed in protest of what he'd tried to do. But it wasn't enough, he told himself...it just...wasn't enough."

He looked to the side and saw Jeff, pulling Sasha well clear of the tree. Jack's eyes widened. He had done it, hadn't he? He'd lifted it. Barely, just an inch or two, but enough for him to slide Sasha out. One look at her legs and he knew they were broken.

Jack rushed over and took Sasha in his arms. "Come on, we have to go." He said. Jeff followed him as he charged through the rain and wind and hail. Now that the storm had rushed in. Limbs were blowing through the street, leaves slapping hard against bared flesh, uprooted bushes tumbling wildly to the side. Jack could no longer run like he had, but he still managed to get into the Inn to find Cliff waiting for him.

"Thought you weren't coming back." Cliff cried, "Everyone's here. Let's go!"

He carried Sasha into the sparsely lit storm cellar, surprised to find it big enough for the entire town to fit into. There were some cots, a few chairs, and food supplies. Jeff and Cliff ran in and Cliff locked the door behind them, the howling just a distant noise. Jack brought Sasha over to the nearest empty cot and laid her down, then turned to the Doctor. "Doc, she was pinned by a fallen tree. I think her legs are broken."

"Mama!" Karen rushed forward to her mother, but Jack held her back. "Let me go!"

"She's hurt, Karen. Give her some room, let the Doctor do his work." He held her as she cried, waiting as the Doctor examined Sasha, the turned to Ellie.

"Elli, I need four CCs of morphine. Good thing I thought to bring some medical supplies. Gotz, Doug, find me some straight planks so I can tied her legs to them. She'll be fine for now, but I'll have to get her some more medical attention when the storm passes."

Jack sighed, catching his breath. They were safe. The town was going to be hit hard, but they were safe. He looked around at the villagers, who were looking at him silently in sideways glances. They weren't saying it, but they owed him their lives. Had they just been home when the storm had it, it could have been worse. He saw Rick sitting up, rubbing his poor cheek and his mother sitting with him.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. He looked over all the villagers to make sure he was seeing right what he was seeing. The realization struck him like a lightning bolt and he immediately verbalized it, "Where's Popuri?"

Everyone looked around, but she was nowhere to be found. Gotz spoke up, "I saw her heading towards the mountainside path earlier, just before the storm hit."

"She wouldn't...still be up there, would she?" Lillia asked. The horrible thought that she was out in the storm, without any shelter...

Jack turned around and lunged towards the door, cursing as he found it padlocked. "Cliff, gimmie the key!"

"Jack, hold on!" Cliff said, "That's a major storm up there, it could kill you!"

Jack reached down and grasped Cliff by his collar, pulling up to his face, "If you don't unlock that door, _I'm_ going to kill _you!"_ Fumbling, Cliff unlocked the storm door and let Jack out. The farmer heard Cliff shut it back and lock it into place again.

It was Jack and the storm now. He rushed through the doors and into a great mixture of howling winds, stinging hail, and biting rain all pelting him. He didn't know how long he had until the winds were enough to carry him away, but he had to find Pouri. He did the only thing he could do: run.

He ran through the woods, yelling angrily as he rushed forwards, trying to stave off his fear. "_IS THAT ALL YOU GOT, GOD? YOU THINK A LITTLE STORM WILL TAKE ME DOWN!?"_ But his threat was more empty than it sounded. Jack was scared, scared for his life and scared for Popuri's life.

The trail was littered with flying branches and more than a few hit Jack, scraping him, poking him hard enough to make him bleed, but he ignored it all. He rushed up the mountain side path, calling her named, _"POPURI! POPURI! POPURI!"_

She had been in the meadow, he realized. She loved to go to the peak. The peak was a good enough place to look for her, so he set off for there and stopped when he reached the bridge.

There she was! He saw her halfway across the wooden, rope-suspended bridge, clinging to the ropes for dear life, her pink hair whipping to the side violently. "_POPURI!"_

She looked up and saw him, _"JACK!"_ She screamed back at him.

"_POPURI, COME ON! WE HAVE TO GET TO SHELTER! MOVE!"_

She was trembling, though he couldn't tell. She was crying but he couldn't see, _"I CAN'T! I'M SCARED!"_

"_POPURI! YOU HAVE TO MOVE! HURRY!"_

_KRACK!_

The sound of a snapping tree trunk resounded in the air and Jack looked up with horror to see a pine tree on a ledge above falling down. His prayer that it would miss the bridge went unanswered as the tree fell onto the bridge and snapped it easily, sending tree, bridge, and a screaming Popuri flailing into the stream below.

"_POPURI!"_ Jack screamed. Her fall seemed like slow motion as the stream devoured her like a monster. Jack felt nothing, only the insistent call to save the girl who loved him so much. He ran down the ledge and leaped off into the stream with abandon. The rushing water hit him like a ton of bricks and he started swallowing water before he broke the surface.

When he managed to reach air, he was coughing and sputtering, trying to catch his own breath, but also looking for Popuri. She was easy to see, her red dress marking her some fifteen feet above him. He swam for her when she suddenly vanished from sight. Jack only had a moment before he realized that they were tumbling towards the waterfall. With a final, large breath, he went over the side and into the pool by the Hot Springs.

Underwater, Jack opened his eyes and saw Poprui sinking to the bottom of the pool, her eyes strangely open and staring, her form unmoving. He swam for her and grabbed her hand, pulling her up.

Weary, feeling more tired than he had in ages, Jack hauled Popuri's lifeless form onto the beach and felt as if he was still in the water. The storm was simply too powerful. He couldn't make it back, but his only salvation was the tiny shack at the Hot Springs and it was simply too small to offer any protection. His gaze landed on the cliff wall nearby and it hit him.

The Mine!

He grabbed Popuri and pulled her inside, the tiny entrance giving them only a marginal amount of wind and rain, but the rest of the small cavern was safe and dry. He laid Popuri down and suddenly saw how lifeless she had become. His eyes widened as he slapped her cheeks gently, her limp head lying uselessly, her eyes staring into nothing.

"Oh no...Poe, no." His lips were on hers instantly, not to love but to deliver life-giving breaths into her lungs. Every breath he put in, she put out a bit of water, leaking down the sides of her mouth. A large red mark, now bleeding, was on her forehead. "Poe, don't you leave me." He said, nearly in tears. "Don't you leave me, Poe. I love you too damn much."

He worked her chest, pumping down on it while putting breaths into her lungs. He must have done it forever when he put a long breath of air into her lungs and she sudden spasmed and coughed water into his mouth. He backed up and Popuri gasped and coughed violently, struggling for breath but obviously and delightfully more alive than she had been minutes before.

Her coughs turned to tears and Jack wrapped her in his arms, kissing her head. "Oh Poe, you had me worried."

"I'm scared, Jack!" She cried, "I didn't mean to get caught in the storm, but it came so suddenly, I thought I could wait it out in my little cubby on the peak, but I knew I had to get back and then the tree fell and I...I...Oh Jack, I'm so scared!

"Sssh, it's okay now." Jack said, sitting down and cradling her in his arms like a frightened child. "It's okay, Poe. We're in the mine, the storm can't hurt us now. We're alright, I'm with you now."

"You're always with me, Jack." She said. "Always."


	33. The Final Draw

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: "THE FINAL DRAW"**

Hurricane Jack raged for twenty seven hours. Inside the Mine, Jack and Popuri were sheltered from the storm, but not the noise it made. Without a flashlight, though, there was no going past the first floor. Water leaked in, but Jack managed to get some heavy rocks shifted around for Popuri to sit on. The color had returned to her face and she breathed normally, but she was sullen at having such a close brush with death.

"I felt like I was wrapped in darkness." She told him later, "But I could feel like the darkness was getting...thicker around me, but I don't know how. I heard you, Jack. I heard your voice and I tried to find you. That's when I woke up. You saved my life, Jack."

Jack didn't feel like having the hero's praise heaped on him, so he merely smiled in answer. He didn't want to be in the same room with Popuri. But why should he fear her? Why? She was just a girl. But that nagging question pulled at him until he could keep it back any longer. The more they sat there, the more he wanted to ask her. They couldn't just sit there forever.

"Why'd you do it, Poe?" he asked finally, "Why'd you vote to keep me here? Everyone hates me. I know _you_ hate me, so why'd you try and keep me here?"

Popuri swallowed, looking down. "I don't hate you, Jack. I love you...I still love you. All those wonderful moments we had together: the picnics, the meadow, the Harvest Festival, our dinners, our dancing. How could I not fall in love with you, Jack?" She had never said it so openly like that, bare her feelings for him, but there they were out in the open now. She looked to him, "Do you...do you love _me_, Jack?"

Jack looked out at the entrance and said softly, "I don't even like _myself_."

"You didn't answer—"

"NO!" Jack cried. "I don't love anyone anymore." He stood to his feet. "Don't you see? Don't you understand? There's no place for anyone with me! I'm alone. I always have been...and I always will be."

"Then what about all those times we shared together?" Popuri asked.

"I was just...being friendly." Jack said, but he felt as if he regretted saying that. He saw Poprui, who stared at him for a long time before she said anything.

"I don't believe that, Jack. The way you kissed me, held me. The way we laugh together...I can't believe all of it was just you humoring me. You changed, Jack. You changed for the worst, but when you were with me, I saw nothing but good in you. Is it true you slept with Karen?"

Jack nodded.

"Why not with me?" She asked.

Jack turned to her, "Why? Do you want me to sleep with you?"

"No. When I had a bit too much to drink, when I asked you to make love to me, why didn't you?"

"You were drunk."

She shook her head, "That's not why and you know it. Jack, you tried later to fool around with me, but I knew then that you were trying to take something you had no permission in having. But when I willingly gave myself, you let me sleep on the couch and never touched me. I think that's because the Jack I know and love wouldn't do that. The Jack you are now wouldn't have done that. I don't know what changed you, Jack, or why, but I know somewhere deep down in your heart is the man I fell in love with."

She swallowed again. "That's why I voted for you to stay—even when everyone else hated you. Because I believe that the man I fell in love with is still inside, waiting to come back and if I let you just leave out of my life, I knew I'd regret it forever."

"You'll just have to regret it anyway." Jack said, "Because as soon as this storm stops, I'm leaving Flowerbud once and for all. I should have never come here in the first place. It's been nothing but trouble."

"_You've_ been trouble, Jack. But you're not like that and I know it. Jack, you shouldn't be so angry, so volatile all the time. What good would it do you? Why would you want to be such an angry, controlling person for?"

"Shut up." He mumbled.

"Jack, I care about you, I care about—"

"I said _SHUT UP!"_ Jack cried, throwing her the fiercest glare he could muster. Popuri looked at him not in shock, but in dismay and sadness. She finally looked away from Jack, unable to see the man she loved so angry with her. Why _had_ she voted to keep him here? He didn't care that she had fought for him or that she still cared for him. But deep down, a part of her screamed to never let him go.

Popuri titled her head to the side. Some things were worth fighting for. She had to believe that because if she didn't then there wasn't much she had to look forward to.

XxXxXxX

They slept through the night and when they woke, Jack found that the rain in the night had lessened and the winds were not much more than a strong breeze. He stepped outside and looked around. This was bearable, he mused. He went back to Popuri and knelt by her. She was using his shirt as a small pillow, sleeping soundly. Watching her sleep, seeing her fair face...he felt the urge to simply lean over and kiss her...kiss her until he knew nothing else.

He even found himself leaning down, but stopped. What was he thinking? This was why people didn't like him in the first place. Or was it something else? Could it all be his fault, like they said?

Jack felt as if some kind of answering voice should have told him something, but none spoke. He was all alone...so very alone. He shook Popuri gently until she looked up at him. "The storm's passed us by. Let's go."

"Go where?" She asked, standing up and walking to the entrance with him.

"Into town, where everyone else is." Jack and Popuri moved into the rain. The downpour was still going on, but their clothes were damp and miserable anyway. In the dark of night, with the street lamps flickering, they could barely see their way and only the occasional glimpse of a building. Jack didn't like what he saw.

The Inn was, thankfully, still standing. The windows were blown out, the shingles torn off the roof and the door torn from the hinges. The place was a wreck inside, rain dripping in from the damaged roof, things tossed about from the wind, leaves and debris plastered against the floor and wall.

They approached the storm cellar door and Jack stomped his foot on it. A moment later, it opened and the town looked up at them, their eyes begging the answer to the question they all thought of.

In answer, Jack put his hand on Popuri's back, as if showing her off as proof. "Found her."

"Popuri!" Lillia cried, trying to rush up the stairs as fast as she could. Popuri took her mother in her arms and Rick joined them a second later. Lillia looked to Jack with tear-strewn eyes. "Jack, thank you for finding my little girl."

"He did more than find me, Mama. Jack saved my life. I fell in the creek and Jack pulled me out. I would have drowned."

"Jack, I owe you the life of my daughter." Lillia said, "If there's ever anything I can do to repay you..."

Jack wanted to say something snide, but shut his mouth. He shouldn't have to ask anything, he just acted on impulse. He nodded and said, "The Storm's lessened a lot, so we should be safe to go on home for the night."

"It could just be the eye of the storm." Cliff said.

Jack shook his head. "The eye passed last night, I saw it pass. But I didn't want to risk running out in the eye and get caught in the open by the worst of the storm."

"Where'd you stay safe at?" The Doctor asked.

"The Mine next to the Hot Springs. It shielded us just fine." Jack said.

The Doctor acknowledged that and then turned to the others of the village. "We have to get Sasha to the Clinic. Let's go." Duke and Doug picked her up and carried her out on a small homemade stretched made from a cot. She was pale, but sleeping and seemed undisturbed. Jack watched her go, then looked about the others. Everyone seemed to be milling about, muttering to one another.

"_I'm okay. Nobody worry about me, I just risked my neck to save Popuri, that's all."_ It was an alien sensation, having done something so grand and not being praised for it. Of course, the closest thing he'd come to saving anyone was the occasional outside interference he might inflict on an opponent—perhaps pull a metal chair out of someone's hand before they could hit his ally in a tag match. Always to the delight of twenty-thousand fans, but here...there was no cheering, no chanting his name, and no parade of accolades for his accomplishments. Only the satisfaction of his heart and watching the brilliant young life he'd save hug her mother.

Suddenly, in the face of everything he'd done the past few months, Jack—or rather Ace—began to understand what was wrong with him. There was no room for selfishness on Mother's Hill, when Popuri had fallen, and there was no need for it when running a farm. That was not some mere chink in his armor, it became a widened gap that Jack—the _real_ Jack—stuck his fingers through to keep from closing.

He said nothing, watching, waiting in the darkness. If he shot forward now, tried to nudge his way through Ace's indomitable hold over him now, the young mind would fight back with ferocity and likely seal him up again. Right now, he wasn't aware that Jack had taken hold of the hole in his armor. It was a more symbolic idea than that, being a matter of the mind and of clashing personas than of real armor or real hands poking through holes, but it was close enough to be real to Jack, hidden away at the back of his own mind.

Better to keep his hold, see how he could pull it apart, watch and hope that those realizations would tear down Ace's barriers until he would be weak enough to subdue. Saving Popuri...that hadn't been Jack. That was all Ace. Now Ace was beginning to see the flaws in his invincible, dominating character.

Jack had to be careful from here on out. For now, though, all he could do was wait.

XxXxXxX

Too dark to do anything, Jack went home and went to sleep in his house which was, thankfully, still there. Come morning, the first thing he wanted to do was scout the damage that had been done the day before. Damage there was and the damage was very bad...to everyone but himself.

Jack was stunned, if not entirely shocked, to find his entire farm had gotten away clean save for the broken windows and some wet floors. The barn stood, stronger than ever, not even a loose shingle present. The stable stood strong, as did the chicken coop and all animals present and accounted for, unharmed and presumably not the least bit shaken. Frodo was happy to run outside and Jack was happy to let him so he didn't drop a biscuit on his floor again.

The fences were torn down heavily, but Jack could replace them with a little help from...Oh, that was right. Cliff had quit. Jack was all by himself again. Guess that 'he is an island' bit only sounded good when you weren't faced with a fence to build. Ace's hole widened a little more, but closed back when he remembered that he'd planned to leave. So what good was worrying about it when he planned to leave?

Flowerbud, on the other hand, had fared very poorly. The General Store being cut in half by a tree wasn't the worst of the damage. As he strolled through town, he discovered just how bad the town had fared and saw the people outside, piecing their lives back together as best they could, looking at him with sadness in their eyes.

It wasn't until some time later the Jack found out his farm was spared because it lived in the shadow of Mother's Hill, which buffered it against the worst of the winds. It helped spare the Poultry Farm and the Yodel Ranch, though a few minor issues like missing shingles and fallen fences had to be addressed. For the most part, Farm Row came away good.

Flowerbud fared even less. Jack found Mary inside the Library—what was left of it after winds had taken off the roof and most of the walls—crying over her volumes of books that were completely ruined by the rain. He said nothing, even when she looked at him with her sad, destroyed eyes, upon which he could read the devastation in her heart. Their house had survived with only a small bit of the roof gone.

Elli and Ellen's house, to put it mildly, gone. The walls collapsed, the house looking like a giant had set his foot on the roof and then pushed down until it was half-way crushed. The Mayor and Harris' home had the front wall knocked down, the roof leaning precariously and threatening anyone who dared try and walk under it.

The General Store had the tree splitting it, but now the winds had taken away the roofing and the stores of supplies were destroyed. The Clinic's top half was gone, it's supplies battered by wind and rain, but a back room was good enough to seat Sasha in. The Church had fared well, but a tree had fallen on its northern side and taken out the foyer.

The Seas had battered Zack's house and swept it off and everything in it. His ferry sat on the beach, nowhere near the water. Jack found him just sitting on the pier, looking out at the water solemnly.

The Inn had taken a pounding, but it's thick beams and sturdy construction had spared it a much worse fate besides the missing shingles. Duke's house had survived, although a tree had gone through his living room front wall and his vineyard was, simply, gone. The Smithy was completely destroyed. No less than two trees had battered it and brought the roof and walls down and the winds had carried them away easily. Nothing was left.

Rose Square, and every surface of bricked pavement, was strewn with debris and trash. A tree had uprooted at the edge of Rose Square and its roots had torn up a sizeable hole in the pavement, near the northeast corner. The iron rebar jutted up from the ground dangerously, spiking towards the sky.

Jack went home and felt somehow...guilty that he had gotten off so easily. He knew some people in town likely hated the fact that he had no damage, while their own houses were destroyed. No, they would hate that terribly. He shrugged it off, walking the distance of his field. He could see Gotz's house still standing, thus supporting the theory of Mother's Hill being a storm shelter. The carpenter likely had his work cut out for him.

He arrived back at his house to see Ann at his home, knocking on his door. "Jack!"

"I'm not home." He said from behind. Ann jumped and spun around, "Jack!"

"Ann!"

"Jack?"

"Ann?"

"Jack..."

"Ann..."

Ann waved her hands in frustration. "Stop it, Jack. The guys need your help. Come on."

"Help with what?" Jack asked.

"Duh! The whole town! Right now, they're trying to chop up the tree that hit the General Store, so grab your axe and met everyone else up there." With that, Ann took off and Jack began to wonder. Did he owe anything to the people who had tried to evict him from town? Did they deserve his help?

Deserve it or not, Jack simply didn't have anything else to do, so he grabbed his axe and wandered back into town, where Duke, Cliff, Gray, and Zack were busy taking their own axes to the massive tree. It'd take them forever, but still they went at it. They spied him, but said nothing as he approached and simply went to work on his own part of the tree.

They were only into the tree a few minutes when he heard Cliff say to Zack, "You know, maybe this is what we get for singing 'Sell My Wife' so much over at the Inn." Everyone laugh—Jack chuckled.

"They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Zack said, "Maybe someone up in the clouds is a woman." They laughed again.

Gray began to chant:

"_Bring back my wife, tell 'er I'm sorry,"_

"_She's not that bad, her cooking's not sloppy,"_

"_I'll make it up, If she'll just come back,,"_

"_With her gone, no one's pulling my slack."_

They chuckled a little, but Jack smiled to himself and said,

"_Bring her back, I miss her more,"_

"_I didn't mean to hit her with the door,"_

"_She'll needs to come back, you know why, honey?"_

"_Cause she left without her purse. I've still got her money."_

The others broke into riotous laughter, stopping as they did. The axe-chopping continued to a mixture of chants and chit-chat, of which Jack participated in very little, but still threw out the occasional snippet of his own conventional wit and wisdom.

Lunch came and as they sat, Mary came to bring them lunch and tea from Doug at the Inn. She handed Jack a pack of sandwiches and some ice tea, smiling at him as she did. Jack smiled back.

"Jack, I think you may beat us in getting through the trunk." Cliff said, making conversation as he ate. "And you came in after us."

Jack just smiled smugly. "Nothing less from yours truly. What did you do? Get half-way through and quit like your career?" Jack felt himself bite his tongue. Why had he said that?

There was a moment of silence as the men glared at him before Cliff said, "You know, Jack...until then, I figured you were back to your old self. I guess you can't stand above us unless you remind us of our failures. It must be nice to know that you never failed, huh? To know that everything you've done has succeeded. I guess you just got a better hand in life."

Jack felt that dark feeling cross himself again and just stared ahead. He put his food down and without a word, grabbed his axe and walked away, heading for his him. Mary watched him leave, recognizing the look in his eyes. She sighed, shaking her head, "Something's got to be done!"

"What're you talking about?" Gray asked. "About Jack? We tried that and Popuri voted to keep him here."

"Maybe that's it." Zack said, "Maybe we need to convince Popuri to vote him off."

"Wouldn't do any good right now." Duke said, "The village mandate says that if the motion is defeated, you have to wait another year. Oh well...guess we just have to put up with him. You guys eat lunch, I've got to go talk to Doug." Duke left and as soon as he was out of earshot, Mary spun to Cliff. "Cliff, I need to ask a favor of you."

"Yeah?"

"The elders of the village are meeting tonight to talk about the village. Can you spread the word to some others for me?"

XxXxXxX

Karen looked up at the Church doors, still strong in the face of the hurricane, and went inside. She'd been with her mother all day, especially after she had emergency surgery to put the pins into her broken legs and set into casts. It was a harrowing experience, but she'd made it and Karen was glad. She was worried about herm other, but the Doctor said she'd pull through just fine now.

She went inside and found a gathering of the younger folks in town. Cliff, Ann, Zack, Gray, Popuri, Rick, and May. At the head of all of them was Mary, sitting with some books near her. "Come in, Karen. Have a seat." She had some pews facing her at the pulpit. Pastor Carter was gone to the meeting with the elders.

Karen sat down, "What's all this about?"

"Jack." Mary said, "This is about Jack."

"I agree." Gray said, "We all hate Jack."

"Shut up, Gray." Mary spoke with such a stern, hard-edged tone that Gray immediately stiffened in his seat. None of them had ever heard Mary speak like that before, it was uncommon. _"Jack's rubbed off on her."_ Gray thought.

"As most of you know, Jack hasn't been the best person in the world for some time now. We all noticed the same thing: he was nice, and somehow he changed. I think that...I _know_ what's wrong with Jack. He has dissociative personality disorder. They used to call it a split personality."

"Bi-Polar?" Zack asked.

"No," Mary said, "A completely separate persona who calls himself Ace." She looked up and saw Cliff stiffen in his own seat, his eyes widening a little. "Cliff...you know, don't you?"

Cliff shook his head, "No, I don't know anything about a split personality. What is it, anyway?"

"A medical condition that's very rare in which a person may have two entirely separate personalities in the same body, almost like two different people. I think that this is what's happened with Jack because, in truth, I've spoken with Ace. Ace opened to me, knew I had found out about him. Ace is like Jack, but with the volume turned all the way up, if I can use that analogy."

"Wait," Karen said, holding up her hands, "If Jack is two different people...isn't he aware of it?"

Mary shook her head, "He may not have found out until it was too late. Usually the two personalities aren't aware of each other, but there are symptoms. The erratic behavior is one, blanks spots in their memories where one personality will be in charge and the other won't. I think somehow...Ace subdued the real Jack, the one we all liked, and held him down. Don't think he's evil or anything, it's just that Jack has two entirely separate ways of thinking—both of which are vying to be the dominate personality."

"And the dominate personality...at least for the last few months...has been Ace?" Ann asked. "What is he, like the anti-Jack?"

Mary looked to Cliff, "I think Cliff can help us with that."

Cliff looked at all of them and shook his head, "No, I swore an oath not to say anything."

"Then be discreet about it, Cliff." Mary said.

Cliff shifted in his seat. "Ace...Ace is who Jack was before he came here. Just imagine, if you will, that at some point Jack was the center of everything around him and he went by the name Ace. He's always in control, people always trying to backstab him, he was always hurt by women, and when he came here...that environment disappeared."

"And Ace disappeared with it, right?" Popuri asked.

"No." Mary said, "He had to have been in control for a long time. When he came here, and Ace was no longer needed, he didn't like not being the dominate persona and he's been trying to take control ever since. He told me that he got tired of waiting, that his patience was thin. He wants the things he used to have: respect and control."

"And girls." Cliff added, "Physical relationships without any commitment. He's been burned by so many girls, he doesn't want to commit to one." His eyes flickered briefly to Popuri, who had been mostly silent during this. "The guy's a maniac. The stories I've heard about him...you guys would cringe if you heard some of them."

"So then we need to get rid of Ace and bring Jack back." Karen said. "How do we do that?"

Mary shook her head. "I'm not sure. Anywhere else and he could be checked into a psychiatric ward or...I think they have medications that help with this, but right now, in our village, there's not much we _can_ do. Ace is still very much in control and Jack...well, who knows where Jack is inside that head of his."

"Is Jack dead?" Popuri asked.

"I don't think so." Mary answered, "I think Ace just pushed him very far back at the corner of his mind. Jack is what Ace isn't and vice-verse, so what you said, Cliff, is actually very true. They are aspects of Jack's mind that are strong at one point, weak at another, while the other one takes the other's weaknesses as his strengths. Ace is strong, brave, commanding, but he's supposed to be balanced by Jack's kindness and consideration. For some reason, they haven't...I guess they haven't meshed, but instead have split apart."

"They're two halves of the same person." Karen said, "Maybe...we can try and find a way to bring them together."

"Ace said he didn't want to compromise with Jack." Mary said, "He wants to be in control, but that's what Ace would do, isn't it?"

"So what do we do?" Popuri asked.

"Do?" Gray said, standing to his feet, his arms out wide, "Why do we have to _do_ anything. Let the guy leave. Who cares what he wants?"

"You should care, Gray." Mary said, "Think of Jack, who only wanted to be a farmer. He's suffering, Gray. Ace is killing him off and I, for one, will not stand by and watch him do it. Ace has to be taken care of, for the good of the village and most of all...for Jack. I asked all of you to come here because we're the ones he's closest to, the ones he knows best and some of us he cares about more than others. We can help him, I know we can."

"You have a plan." Karen said. It wasn't a question.

Mary nodded, "But it might be...potentially dangerous and it has every reason to backfire, but I think...no, I want to know who's in first. Who'll help me. If you don't want to, that's fine. I just need to know first."

Little May strode forward. "I wanna help Mr. Jack."

Popuri spoke up, "I want to help Jack as well. What do I do?"

Looking around, Mary saw a bevy of nodding heads, all accepting to help Jack if they could. Mary smiled and reached down to grab a soaked book. "What we have to do, I think, is to show Ace that we want Jack, not him. We have to encourage Jack to come back to us and, hopefully, if he strives to come back, it'll bring the two sides of Jack into conflict where, hopefully..." She left the last bit of that unsaid and looked at them all.

"Do you think it'll work?" Karen asked. "How do you know what to do?"

Mary's eyes drifted to the book she held. "I think Jack was trying to send me a sign."

In her hands, Mary held copy of Stephen King's 'The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three' and the tale of two minds named Detta and Odetta. It was slim, but what was in those pages was so similar to what was happening with Jack, that she knew he understood that only a conflict could end what was going on in his mind.

Mary only feared that Jack hadn't lost the conflict once and for all.

XxXxXxX

A knock came to the farm door as he sat in his house, amounting everything he had to just about nothing. Jack felt so empty, so angry, yet he had nothing to direct that anger towards. Why should he be angry? The knocking at his door was, at least, a distraction from his thoughts. He shuffled towards the door and answered it.

No one.

He looked around for a moment, then looked towards the ground. An envelope. He picked it up and opened it: _"Meet me at the church. –Karen"_

Jack smiled. So Karen still wanted to talk to him, eh? Well, he guessed she wasn't as displeased as she'd made out to be. Tucking the letter into his pants, he made his way back into town, wondering idly about buying golf cart or dirtbike to get around on. The elders of the town were meeting that night, so the Church was empty. Good idea of Karen, although Jack had reservations about doing anything in a Church.

He opened the door and closed it behind him, unaware of Popuri sneaking out from her hiding place to lock it behind him. He stepped into the church and looked around.

"Hello?"

"We don't want you here, Ace." A voice said.

Jack turned to see Mary standing at the pulpit, her hands folded across her front, facing him down. He approached and she continued, "We know who you are, Ace. We don't want you here, we want Jack back. We want _Jack_."

Jack said nothing, walking a walk that was more of a swagger, one she knew Ace would wear well. She tried to remember her confident words to all of them—to herself—before they planned this, _"Be strong. Don't show him you're afraid, he preys on that. Show him we're stronger than he is."_

"Well, that's too bad, Mary, because Ace is all you're going to get. Jack's taken a backseat for a while—probably forever."

From their vantage hiding spots beneath the pews, Karen and Popuri looked to one another, their surprised looks telling each other everything they needed to know.

"_He's admitting it. By God, Mary told the truth. The Jack we know is underneath that brute."_ Karen thought, then looked away as she thought, _"That was not Jack I slept with, it was Ace. Ace was the brute who took my virginity and Jack...he was just trying to fix everything that Ace had done!"_

Karen could no longer hold her thoughts to herself as her sudden revelation went from a spark of anger to a raging fury. She shot to her feet and cried, "You heard her, Ace! _You're_ the reason we hate Jack. In fact, I DON'T hate Jack, I hate _YOU!_ You took me in, promised me the world, and when I was done you left poor Jack with the guilt of it all."

Jack eyed her, his mouth curled in a sneer, his fists clenched at his side, "You...Bitch! I gave you one night you'll never forget and you—"

"You gave me a night I _wish_ I could forget. The only girls who like _you_, Ace, are _whores_! _That's_ why you had seven ex-girlfriends...because you only dated _whores_! Well, I'm _NOT_ a whore, I'm a woman and sleeping with you was the worst mistake I ever made because I didn't want _YOU_, I wanted _JACK!"_

Jack opened his mouth to say something, his eye twitching, when he saw Poprui rise up from her hiding spot and come up behind Karen, putting her hand on her shoulder. "You hurt people, Ace. That's all you know how to do."

"It's all you've ever done." Cliff said from behind Jack, making him turn around, "But there's no one here you need to hurt, Ace. There's no one here for Ace Valentine to control or manipulate. Maybe that's how you ruled the world, but in Flowerbud...the only thing you need is what you have at hand. Jack realized that and it scared you, didn't it?"

"You shut up, you worthless loser!" Jack—now fully Ace—cried, stepping towards him with his fist raised, "You were a loser, kid! You'll never be anything!"

"I've got a woman I love and people I care about. I'd rather have this than be like _you_, Ace!"

Ace growled, "I slept with her, too! Your little whore girlfriend! She melted like butter in my arms."

"And I forgave her." Cliff said just as calmly, his stare now more empowered than Ace's fists. "Because that's what true love is, Ace. Maybe she had a weak moment, so what? I'd never forgive myself if I left her because of a mistake. Maybe you just don't like the fact that I forgave her and took her back. Is that it? You can't stand watching something you do fail?"

"He's right." Ann said, stepping forward now, tears rolling from her eyes, "You took advantage of me, Ace. You lied and manipulated me so you could get what you want. You're not a real man, you're a coward and a liar. A piece of shit who can only lie and manipulate or beat up and strong-arm to get what he wants. Jack made people like him. People _wanted_ to do things for him! We _LOVE JACK_!"

Ace's hand went to his head and he opened his mouth in pain. Looking down, he saw little Mary waddling forward. "You're a bad man, Mr. Ace. I want Mr. Jack back. He's nice. I wish he were my daddy, cause you're terrible."

Ace spun, seeing Gray standing nearby. "Jack was my friend and you took him from me, Ace. We don't want you anymore. _I_ don't want you anymore."

Jack looked and there was Rick, "I thought Jack was like a brother to me. I hope you die, Ace. You've brought nothing but misery to my family."

He turned back towards the door, his face panicked as the pain in his head grew stronger. But Zack was stopping him, his arms folded over his chest, daring him to try and leave, "Jack's a top notch guy. I'd do anything for him. _You_, on the other hand...I wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire. Why don't you get the hell outta Dodge?"

"_I'LL DO WHATEVER I WANT! I'M ACE FUCKING VALENTINE, YOU WORTHLESS FUCKS!"_ He cried.

"_You'll stay your tongue in this house."_ A soft, yet strong voice said. Jack spun to see a tall, imposing figure with long white—or was it silver—hair standing behind Mary at the pulpit. He stared at Ace with a stern look and said, _"Your time is nigh, Ace Valentine. There is no place for you here in this land of the Lord's. Be gone, for we have no need for you."_

The splitting in Ace/Jack's head reached a pitch so high, he could barely stand it. His hands pressed to his head, he opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. There was a sound in his ears like a great _Riiiiip_ and suddenly Jack's voice flew into Ace's mind.

_REMEMBER ME, ACE?_

Jack's head wobbled and he simply fell to the ground in front of them. The youths looked at one another anxiously. "Now what?" Rick asked.

Mary looked down at him, "I think it's between those two now."

XxXxXxX

Jack had taken the rip in Ace's armor and widened it with each word against Ace until at last he ripped free and tore into...more blackness. This was different, though. Less oppressive, more giving...he thought of it as the more open part of his mind, whereas before he was locked into a small corner of it. Now he was free, but he couldn't come forward. Something was amiss.

_BONG_

The bell. Jack straightened his back. He had no rage, but he stood strong just the same.

_BONG_

_Thump...thump...thump_

Jack looked behind him, aware of the world seeming to spin and her found himself back into the wrestling ring with Ace Valentine in the opposite corner. His chest heaving, his muscle-bound arms tightened, his entire body shivering, making his long hair quiver. He glared at Jack through hardened eyes. "Is this what you want? A showdown? You and me? Once and for all?"

"No." Jack said, "I'm here to tell you it's over for you, Ace. There's no place, no room left for Ace Valentine."

"You can't get rid of me."

"I don't want to get rid of you. I want your compromise, I want your _acceptance_, Ace. I want to live our life, together, not apart." Jack sighed, "There is _no_ place for you here, Ace. Why don't you realize that?"

"Why don't you _burn in hell!_" Ace charged forward. Jack ran towards him and ducked at the last second, feeling the brush of Ace's arm shoot over his head and then he bounced off the ropes. Ace continued past him and hit the ropes on the opposite side as well. The two of them came together in a vicious double-clothesline in the middle of the ring and landed next to one another in a heap that looked more like it belonged next to a car accident.

XxXxXxX

Jack suddenly jerked, his body moaning as he did. Mary jumped from her squat next to him. "What...I think they're fighting."

XxXxXxX

Ace kick-snapped to his feet and pulled Jack into the corner, then started raining blows into his gut and on his face; Jack's head lolled from one side to another, taking the blows without any defense.

Ace reared back for a hard punch and Jack ducked, spinning out of the corner and pushing Ace into it. Then, gleefully, almost sadistically, Jack started punching Ace in the kidneys as he was over the corner turnbuckle. The punches were short-lived, as Ace snapped out and hit Jack in the brow with his elbow. Jack staggered backwards and when he turned around, Ace had already climbed to the top-turnbuckle and was flying through the air, planting a missile dropkick right to his chest.

Jack fell down and Ace was up in an instant, dropping three elbows in succession to his back and then kicking him in the gut and face.

XxXxXxX

Jack convulsed, responding to each blow that landed on him. Blood started to trickle slowly from the corner of his mouth.

"What's happening?" Popuri asked, panic etched on her face.

"They're fighting." Mary said, "And...Jack's losing."

Popuri went to Jack's prone form and leaned close to his ear, "Jack! Jack, you have to fight him! Please, Jack! I love you! Don't let him beat you! Fight him Jack!"

XxXxXxX

"_Fight him, Jack."_ The voice said out of nowhere and Ace looked up with a sneer. Jack took the moment to reach up and grab Ace's hand, then spun around, wrenching his arm until he could maneuver Ace to lift him up on his shoulders, readying him for the Mountainside Massacre.

Ace wiggled free and fell behind Jack, pushing him forward. Jack grabbed the ropes, but suddenly Ace was running into him at full speed, planting his knee into Jack's back, right where his herniated disk was at. Jack cried out loud.

"_Jack! Get him!"_

"She can't help you, Jacky-boy." Ace sneered. "She can't help anyone."

"You leave her alone. I love her!" Jack cried.

"You don't know who you love." Ace said, grabbing Jack by the hair and pulling him into the ring. "You haven't loved anyone."

Jack stood up, weary, wobbling, and looked at Ace, "I loved Wendy. You loved Wendy"

Ace's face, for one brief moment, tore into a world of hurt that hadn't felt in forever. When he turned back to Jack, it morphed into a mask of terrible anger and outage. He kneed Jack in the gut, then lifted him up and hit him with a powerbomb that knocked Jack senseless. Ace stood over him, raving,

"_HOW DARE YOU MENTION HER! I LOVED HER!"_

"Then why did you leave her!?" Jack cried, his tears running down from the open wound, a wound that never bled.

"_I WANTED THE WORLD!"_

"You _GOT_ the world, ACE!" Jack cried, "But what good was it without Wendy?"

Ace was silent, then he let out a terrifying wail that sounded like a creature being shoved into a woodchipper. He turned his rage on Jack, straddling his chest, taking his hair in one hand and then mercilessly battering Jack's face with his iron-like fist. Jack's head bobbed up and down, bloody, bruised, re-arranged. He couldn't defend himself against Ace, the man was just too much.

XxXxXxX

Jack's nose began bleeding, his head jerking back and forth. Popuri cried, "He's killing Jack!"

"Jack! Fight him!" Rick cried, "You can do it!"

"Get him, Jack!" Karen screamed, "Knock him out!"

Everyone screamed at once to Jack, hoping beyond hope to lift him up.

XxXxXxX

"_WENDY WAS THE ONLY WOMAN I EVER LOVED! HOW DARE YOU!" _Ace cried.

"I loved her, too." Jack cried at Ace, weeping. "But you just had to have the world. But it's over now, Ace. It doesn't have to be this way. We have a chance, the same chance we had with Wendy. Only this time, we don't have to leave her. She loves us and you know it. You love her too. Why else did you do what you did?"

Ace stared at him for a moment, but his hardened face grew harder, "No...I'll never concede to you."

Jack's eyes widened and suddenly, Ace had grabbed him and was hauling him to the turnbuckle. "I'm going to finish you off, Jack. I'm going to do what Butch Cliver didn't have the guts to do." He lifted the two of them up, then when he reached the top, he turned and held Jack in an upside down position. With a jolt of fear, Jack realized that he was going to deliver a Cradle Piledriver from the top rope.

It'd kill him.

The voices were louder.

Jack whimpered, "Please, Ace...don't."

"Goodbye, Jack. I wish I could say it's been—"

Suddenly, Jack was flying through the air, but not in the precision line of a flying piledriver, but in a tumble. He landed awkwardly on his butt and heard Ace hit the mat just above him. He looked back at the turnbuckle and gawked.

"Always gotta be the hero, isn't that right, Jack? You sure got in over your head this time, Amigo."

Jack blinked. It couldn't be.

But it was.

Kai.

The wiry young man smiled. "Sorry, but you know me. Always wait till the last second." He climbed into the ropes and helped Jack up. "You got yourself into a pickle. Burnout isn't enough to explain what's wrong with you, amigo. We all need help sometimes."

Ace was getting to his feet. Jack looked to Kai, who grinned. "Don't worry. We got this for now." And as he strode forward, the voices, which were still bellowing in his favor, began to take physical shape as Karen, Popuri, May, Zack, Gray, Rick, and Mary all appeared at the edge of the ring, as if they had always been there, and stepped inside. They didn't look at Jack, but passed him by and, with Kai in tow, proceeded to beat Ace Valentine like a dirty dog in the street.

Jack watched with amazement, his mind suddenly realizing what he was seeing: the true strength that he had that Ace didn't.

For several long minutes, he watched the somewhat amusing spectacle of his friends kicking and punching Ace. Mary lifting her skirt to lay in the occasional toe-kick, Karen focusing particularly on his groin, and Rick constantly stopping to adjust his glasses.

Finally, Jack stepped forward, "That's enough." He said. They stopped, got up, and left as if they had never been there, but watched from the edge of the ring. Their voices were much louder now. Ace looked worse than he ever had, blood dripping down from his misshapen, bruised face, hair disheveled, jerking painfully as he tried to stand.

Jack stood over him, then reared back and kicked Ace across the face. The kick was so powerful that Ace was shot from a prone position to standing on his feet, supported only by the corner turnbuckle. Jack approached him, "We're stronger than you now, Ace."

"That's impossible. I'm your anger, I'm your POWER!" Ace cried defiantly. He rushed forward, but Jack caught his fist and twisted it, putting him on the ground.

"But I've got something you don't, Ace. I have friends. I have people who love me and they just showed you what they thought of you. I may not have your anger, but I have something else: righteousness. I am just, Ace. I am as beyond you as you are beyond your peers. Now...concede. Give it up."

"No."

Jack took Ace's arm and then twirled and slammed him onto the mat with one hand, as if he were a cartoon character. Jack pulled Ace's legs up and criss-crossed them, pressing down in a variation of the Sharpshooter. "Give it up, Ace!"

"NO!"

Jack pressed forward, his arms reached out to grab Ace by the neck and pulled him back, wrenching the man's entire body. Ace screamed in pain, his arms flailing helplessly. "You're _NOT NEEDED!_ Concede! Tap out! _I WANT OUR LIFE BACK! I WANT THE CHANCE I DIDN'T HAVE WITH WENDY! I WILL NOT LET YOU RUIN MY LIFE ANY MORE!"_

Jack pulled, hearing bones snap from the tension, muscles tearing violently. Ace screamed violently, literally feeling himself being torn apart. His hand wavered over the mat, quivering with the want and need to give in to Jack, but resisting because he wanted to be the stronger. But he wasn't the stronger, he was the weaker. He always had been, he only didn't realize it until he came to Flowerbud.

"Help me, Ace!" Jack cried, "Help me right the wrongs you made. Let me show you the life you've denied yourself, the life you left behind when you left Wendy. Let me show you how to love again."

"_NEVER!"_

Jack felt his fingers slipping. Ace was breaking free. If he did, Jack would never be able to get him like this again, he just knew it. He cried out, "I love you, Ace! You're my brother, the brother I never had. I forgive you, but only when we make things right can I show you how much better it is. You had your time...it's my time now! Please, Ace! Do it for Wendy!"

_BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!_

The next thing that happened was Jack and Ace slipping into a silent darkness of dreamless dreams.

XxXxXxX

Jack suddenly went still and quiet. The younger members of Flowerbud watched him apprehensively. Mary felt his pulse. "He's out cold. The fight's over."

"Who won?" Popuri asked.

Mary shook her head, "We won't know until he wakes up. Zack, Gray...let's get him home. Make him comfortable. And pray. All of you pray that it's Jack, not Ace, that wakes up."


	34. Amends

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: "AMENDS"**

Sunlight finally woke him. He lifted his lids and looked out into his sunlight bathed room, the drapes wide open and the door propped so that as much fresh country air could flitter in as possible. Why was he home? Why was his house open to the wide world, for that matter. He went to move. Bad idea. Obviously, he'd been hit by a Mack truck if the sore state of his body was any indicator.

"J...Jack?" A soft voice asked. He looked over and there was Mary, sitting dutifully by his bed with an open book in her hands. She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, putting the book down. "Ace? Jack? Which one are you?"

He croaked, "Water."

Mary grabbed a nearby glass and handed it to him. Fighting his protesting body's aches and cries, he took it and drank deeply, swallowing the entire glass in one breath. Mary watched him intently, looking to see his facial expressions. When he finished drinking, he closed his eyes and realized very promptly what had happened, much like a kid waking up on Christmas morning and remembering that he had a load of presents to unwrap.

He looked over at Mary, who was watching him still with intent eyes. He knew what she wanted to hear. He remembered the excruciating hold, the torment inflicted, the loud _Bangbangbangbangbang!_ The sound of Ace's have slapping the mat repeatedly in surrender.

Ace had conceded.

Jack had won.

"You going to be okay now?" Mary asked.

"Yes." Jack said, nodding weakly, "You can go home now, Mary."

She looked taken back by his request. "What? I can't leave you here—"

"Mary." He said in a firm, but friendly voice. He smiled a genuine smile for the first time in ages and held out his hand, taking Mary's in his. "Mary, you did more for me than I can ever repay. But right now, I'd like to be alone. I've got some thinking to do. Don't worry, Ace is gone. He's never coming back, I promise. Thank you for helping me."

Mary smiled and nodded, patting his hand, "Alright, you take care. Come find me if you want to talk."

"I'll hold you to it." He said, watching her go. As soon as the door shut, he collapsed back onto his bed and felt the pure joy radiating off his very being. He sighed deeply, his body aching, but his mind free. Free of the oppressive conflict that had been raging in his head for months now, a veritable war that he had been unaware of for so long it was hard to tell where it had all begun. There was no doubt, though, where it had ended. Jack had fought Ace down, made him know that there was no place for him here.

Yet, even in the end, he knew Ace wasn't gone. Not really. He had conceded, was brewing within his mind. But he wasn't fighting. That was the most important thing was that Ace was begrudged sitting by and was going with Jack—like a sore loser that had fought him for the right to drive a car and was now sitting, cross-armed and pouting in the passenger's seat next to him, but no longer interfering.

Jack could feel that Ace's conceding hadn't meant a total recession of what he was. Jack always felt the moment where he was in control had very little strength to them, more like he was borrowing the car and knew the owner was looking for it. But now, he could feel Ace's strength, his strong determination and will seeping into his—without the conflicting emotions and surging ego.

Sitting up despite the pain, Jack went into the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. His face had taken a nice beating. He wondered, though, if this was really from Ace's beating. He closed his eyes. Maybe it was all in his head,

Smiling, he said to himself, "There is no spoon."

When he opened his eyes, he still looked like he'd gone three rounds with Tyson. Apparently, this spoon was there. He'd take a week to have all the bruising to go and some of the swelling as well, but his face wasn't damaged beyond repair and he still had all his teeth.

Jack returned to his kitchen and began to fire up the stove, using activity to help him think. Of course, being hungry was another good motivator. As he fired up some bacon for a good BLT, he began to think about what to do now. It was like he had another lease on life, as if he'd just arrived on the farm one year ago. It was, he knew, time to undo the things Ace had done. He mulled over several thoughtful outlines as he ate, munching thoughtfully on bits of ideas, but nothing solid came to mind. He felt bad being in here and not helping with the town. Those people had no homes left, most of them, and here he was safe and sound in his.

A knock at the door turned his attention. He got up and answered it, finding Zack standing there with a package in his hands. "Jack? You okay?"

"I am now." Jack said, smiling, "Thanks to you guys."

Zack smiled warily, "Well, that's good."

"Listen, Zack...I want to say I'm sorry for the things I said to you before...about your old job. I really appreciate the work you do for me and the rest of the town. You're our lifeline. I hope you can forgive me."

Zack just beamed and said, "Hey, no problem! But, I don't know about lifeline anymore. Don't dig into your groceries too much, cause I don't know when I can fix the ferry or get it back into the water. Well, I can't stay long, but I wanted to bring you this. It's some mail for you that I forgot to deliver just before the hurricane. It's been making noise." He handed a brown envelope to Jack.

"Thanks." Jack bid him farewell and went inside, looking at the brown envelope that had a small bulge to it. He ripped it open and a small cell phone fell into his hands. He was digging for the letter when it rang suddenly. He answered it. "Hello?"

"Jack?"

Jack lifted an eyebrow, his mouth tugging in a grin. "Morpheus?"

"Wha...shut up, you clown. It's your old man!"

"I know. Don't tell me...the Matrix has me, right?" Jack laughed.

"I've been trying to get a hold of you for days. What happened? Are you alright? That monster hurricane hit your town head on."

"I'm fine, Dad. The farm's fine. But I don't know about the rest of the village. It got hit real hard, you know. Some of the homes are just...gone. It's a real mess." Jack stepped outside and looked at the distant roofs—those that remained—and sighed. "It's gonna be a long time before it gets back up to shape."

"Sounds like a bummer." Kevin said, "But what're ya gonna do?"

Jack saw a flash of pink and trained his eyes on the horizon. He could see Popuri, Rick, and Lillia in the distance, making their way from their home to the road. Jack swallowed and his face set with a mark of determination. "A lot, Dad. I'm gonna do a lot. Listen, are you free?"

"I'm retired."

"I have a plan."

"I want to fish."

"Get over it, Marine."

"Jack, I was a Seal. If you call me a Marine again, I'll choke you through this phone. You know better." Kevin laughed, "What is it?"

"Grab a pen and some paper, this is what I want you to do."

XxXxXxX

The thing Jack had one his mind was repairing. Flowerbud was destroyed, literally and figuratively. The people were broken, poor-spirited, and down in general. Jack intended to lift them up and that began with rebuilding their spirits...as well as undoing the damage that Ace had done. There was no pulling back for Ace, he was at the forefront now and Jack intended to show him the good things that Flowerbud had done.

It was time to mend some hearts.

The first place he stopped at was the one place that had never been in good standing with him since his arrival: The Aja Winery. Well, what was left of the Aja Winery. At this time of morning, he found Duke sitting at the step of his proud home, one that had stood for generations before. The vineyard...well, it was a total loss. Duke looked like he wanted to cry and was nursing a bottle that looked to be of his finest stock.

Jack stepped right up to him, "Mornin', Duke. How's the vineyard look?" He said right cheerfully.

Duke glared up at Jack with scowl. Was this farmer blind or something? He couldn't see with his own eyes the truth. "I'm fantastic, Jack." He said sarcastically, "My vineyard is a total loss. I'll have to sell my best wine to break even and then even more just to pay for the repairs to the house. But...I won't have any wine left to sell. I'm..." He sighed deeply, "Jack, I'm through."

Jack shook his head, "No, I don't think you are."

Something landed at Duke's feet and the winemaker picked up the small white envelope and looked at Jack, who nodded for him to look. Duke opened it and gasped as he found it stuffed to the brim with green bills. He looked up at Jack, "What is this?!"

"That..." Jack said, "That's the money I owe you."

"For what?"

"Remember last years when I took those two thousand dollars in wine? Well, I took it to the mainland and sold it for fifteen thousand dollars. I kept the two thousand you owed me, but the other twelve thousand rightfully belongs to you."

"Jack, how could you possibly have gotten fifteen thousand dollars for that wine?" Duke asked, his mouth never closing.

Jack just shrugged, "I have my ways. A few friends who're wine snobs that think Aja Wine is the finest and rarest thing to ever come out of an Americian vineyard since...well, ever. I promised to see if I can get some more wine to him in the coming months, but I think this money should keep you from going under until you can get the vineyard back up this year, right?"

Duke shook his head in disbelief, staring at the money, "Jack...I don't know what to say."

Jack shrugged again, "Just say you forgive me for being such an ass to you over the past year. I was...not feeling well at all."

Duke leapt up and took Jack in a vicious bear hug. "You wily rascal! I can't thank you enough for this! Jack...Jack, I'm in your debt. I'll pay you back, I swear it."

When Jack was set down, he shook his head, "No, Duke. The money's yours rightfully. I just made a profit from something you gave me. Think of me as your wine-selling middle man, but I'm waving my fee. I don't owe you anything and you don't owe me anything. We're clean, Duke. Cool?"

"More than cool!" Duke shook Jack's hand, "I was wrong about you, Jack. I was wrong in the worst way. Can you ever forgive me for thinking so poorly of you? Is there anything I can help your farm with?"

"No, I'll be alright. Take care of yourself first, Duke."

Duke nodded. "Will do, Jack. Anything you say."

Jack smiled to himself as he left and heard Duke running into his house yelling, "Manna! Break out the wine!"

He made his way up to the Library and found Mary, Anna, And Basil in the front yard, piling up the things that belonged to them. "Good morning." He said.

"Morning, Jack." Mary said, winking at him, as if she knew saying his name meant not just calling him that to keep up appearances. She was talking to Jack and he was receiving. He smiled again. Basil grunted in response and Anna said nothing to him. There was a corner of their roof gone, but the worst damage had been to the Library.

When he didn't leave, Basil looked at him, "What do you want, Jack?"

Jack stuffed his hands into his pocket solemnly, "To apologize."

"For what?"

"If you've forgotten already, then maybe I don't need to be here. I want to apologize to both of you because the past year I've been...well, not myself. I want to say that I'm sorry—more sorry than you'll ever know—that I insulted you and Anna the way I have and done the things I've done. I hope you can accept my sincerest apologies and know that I never intended to be like that."

Jack shuffled on his feet, "And...I want you to know that nothing I've ever done has shamed me like what I did to Mary." He looked to her. "Mary, there was no cause for what I did and although I can ask your forgiveness...and that of your parents, I don't expect to be forgiven for slapping you."

Mary's face softened in a way it hadn't in a long time. She came forward and reached up, taking his face by his cheeks, "Jack, you went through something no one should have to go through. I don't blame you for what happened. Of course, I forgive you."

If Anna and Basil were feeling any form of forgiveness, they offered none of it, but the display of affection from Mary to Jack showed them that perhaps there was something to the situation that they didn't understand...but obviously it had something to do with Jack. This was not the same ranting and raving Jack they had last seen. This Jack was...different. And Basil couldn't help but smile seeing his daughter forgive Jack. That was the kind of person he had raised his daughter to be.

Basil and Anna looked to one another. Anna frowned, but saw the smile on Basil's lips. "What's wrong with _you_?" She asked.

Basil just shrugged, "Oh, nothing."

There was no one home at what was left of Elli's or the Mayor's house, but that was just as well. Elli, Stu, Ellen, Jeff, Karen, the Doctor, and Sasha were all at the Clinic. Walking into the Clinic he could see Karen and Jeff were helping to pick up the place.

He spied Karen and she spied him, but said nothing to him. Just as well, he figured. He had to speak to the Doctor mostly. He walked up to the man, who looked rather disheveled and weary. "Hey, Doc."

"Jack." He nodded curtly.

"Can I talk to you in private?"

"Of course," The Doctor nodded, gesturing to his small office. Jack took a seat in front of his desk. "What can I help you with?"

Jack spread his hands, "Well, first of all, how are you? You look beat."

"I was in surgery with Sasha for two hours last night and I had to stay up to watch her. She has five pins in her legs. If you hadn't pulled her from under that tree, it would have been worse. She would have died. That makes two people who owe you their lives. She's recuperating, but it'll be some time before her legs are well enough to support her. I've called in the order for some medical supplies, but it'll be a week, Zack says, before his ferry will be up and running."

A week, Jack nodded to himself. Well, that's perfect.

Doc continued, "I'm just tired. I'll grab a nap at lunch, but I won't sleep until tonight, when Sasha is out of the critical stage of her recovery."

"Good." Jack said, "I'm glad she's alright. Listen, Doc, I was wondering if, by some chance of the imagination, you could reconsider firing me as your patient."

"Jack," The Doc sat up in his chair, "That demonstration you put on at the Inn was rather brutish. Elli and I are in agreement on this."

"I know," Jack hung his head, "I know, I acted like an idiot. But...I'm over it. I want to apologize to you and ask if you can give me another chance, a chance to show I'm a better person than that. You see...I suffered from a split personality at one time and for a few months it kind of came back to haunt me."

Doc narrowed his eyes, "I don't recall seeing that on your chart."

"I didn't go to a doctor for it because I didn't want anyone to think I was crazy, which I was." Jack shrugged with a grin, "But I'm better now. I would also appreciate it if you didn't spread that around. I don't think it's much people's business, right?"

"Doctor/patient confidentiality." He said, standing to his feet, holding his hand out, "Apology accepted. No hard feelings?"

"As long as I can still come here for my health." Jack laughed.

"Done." Doc shook his hand and Jack pulled him a little closer, whispering to him.

"Hey, Doc. How are you and Elli?"

Doc's face seemed to sigh in and of itself, "I know people know that she's smitten, but...frankly, Jack, I don't know how to approach her."

"Do you feel the same way?" Jack asked.

"Yes, very much so. But my entire life has been practicing medicine, I never had a relationship before. I'm not very sure about what to do."

Jack smiled and nodded, "This is what you do. You just ask her to come to dinner with you. Go to the Inn on a quiet night, treat her to dinner, talk with her like you always do, and your hearts'll do the rest. Trust me, Doc. You don't want to let a great girl like Elli pass you by." Jack felt like laughing when he said this, primarily because Elli was humorless, but that didn't mean she didn't have a heart.

He pulled back the curtains of the Doctor's "office" and then walked to the beds and poked his head in. He saw Sasha inside and with Jeff by her side. She saw him, but made no emotion to her voice. He stepped inside and sat next to Jeff in a chair, "Hey, Jeff."

"Jack." He said.

Jack turned to Sasha and reached out to squeeze her hand, "Hey, Sash, how ya doin'?"

"Terrible." She croaked.

"Yeah, no kidding."

"Jack," She rasped, looking right at him, "Jeff told me what happened. He said you saved my life."

Jack nodded, "I guess there's no way around the truth of it, but the only thing I care about is you being safe."

"I was so horrible to you, Jack." She said, "I rallied the villagers against you. I told Karen you were a horrible person. I stood in the way of you two and my daughter hated me for it. And after all that...and I'm sure you knew of it all...you still saved my life. You have no idea how terribly I feel, Jack."

Jack kept holding her hand. "I _was_ a horrible person, Sasha. But...I'm not anymore. I made mistakes. I'm only human, but I want you to know that I don't think ill of your or Jeff for looking out for your daughter's welfare. In fact, I was kind of hoping you could forgive me for being so terrible to you and Karen. I'm truly sorry that I was the way I was, but I understand that if you don't want to forgive me, that's okay."

Sasha's eyes squinted and a tear rolled from the corner of her eyes, "Oh, Jack. I'm so sorry. Of course, I forgive you. Please, forgive me for being so vindictive towards you."

"Nothing to forgive." Jack said.

A hand rested on his shoulder and Jack turned to Jeff, who said. "When you paid off Duke's debt...that was the first time anyone in the village—except for Sasha—has ever stood up for me. You saved my wife, Jack, the only reason I live and breathe. I can't ever repay you what you've done for me. You have my forgiveness."

"No problem, Jeff. You're a good man." Jack shook his hand and stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I have to see to some things. I'll be back to check up on you."

When Jack opened the curtain, he opened it up and saw Karen standing right there. Shutting it behind him, he leaned close to her and asked, "Can I talk to you outside?"

She nodded and followed him out through the door. Jack opened his mouth, but Karen held her hand up, "Jack, just...walk with me for a while." He nodded and followed her down to the beach. Once there, she took her shoes off at the foot, as did Jack, and followed her down the sandy shore until they reached its end. Jack pivoted on his feet, his hands behind his back. Karen sat down on the shore, hugging her knees to her chest.

Jack sat next to her, legs splayed out. Obviously, Karen was thinking and wanted to say the first thing, so he let her contemplate her words and waiting, enjoying the fresh Spring breeze as it rolled through the river's currents. This was the first time he had enjoyed Spring since it arrived.

"Until last night, I would have hated you until my dying day." Karen said at last, "But after Mary explained what happened...I think the pieces finally began to come to together and last night, I finally realized the part I had played in this."

She looked at him, shifting her legs until she was sitting on them, "Jack, Cliff explained that this other guy—Ace—was who you used to be. He told me afterwards the rumors about the drove of women you went through. I think, in a way, I urged that part of you that you had left behind to come back out by...well, making eyes at you and...I guess skinny-dipping hadn't helped either. I was teasing you, Jack, and that's not who I am. Not now. Not anymore. You weren't the only one who changed, Jack. Ace changed me for the worse."

Jack sighed, "He didn't help me either, Karen. I know that what we did together was wrong, not in the sense that we shouldn't have even touched each other, but we went for it for the wrong reasons. But I think, Karen, that deep down there was some feeling for each other. It just got lost in a hazy lust. I hope that you can forgive me for treating you like that, for ruining your first time."

Karen smiled and her eyes began to water, but not from hurt, but from happiness. "Thanks, Jack. You have no idea how much that means to me. I'm sorry I...I brought out the worst in you."

"Hey," He said, holding his arms out, "Bygones and such. I'm glad you're willing to forgive me."

The next thing he knew, Karen had jumped into his outstretched arms and embraced him tightly, weeping happily for her friend, "And I'm glad you're okay, Jack."

"Yeah, me too. Now...what about us?" He asked.

"Not now." Karen said, hugging him tightly, "Not today. Let's...let's take a little more time on that. Right now, I'm so happy, I don't want anything to spoil it."

As Jack thought about that, he realized that he didn't want anything to spoil it either. So that was a conversation for another day, another time. In that moment, Jack was struck by how much older he felt and how much more mature Karen seemed than when he had first appeared.

It was the first time in a long while Jack felt at peace with himself.

XxXxXxX

Cliff whistled cheerfully as he used a pair of towels to wipe down the tables at the Inn, "Wax on, wax off, wax on, wax off." He sang.

"One day, you'll have to tell me what that means." Ann said from the side, where she was hauling a heavy box from one end of the Inn to the other. The door opened and she sighed, "Cliff, will you help whoever walked in? My hands are full."

"So I see." Jack said.

His voice startled her so suddenly that Ann dropped the box where she stood and it landed right on Jack's left foot. "OOW!" He cried, hopping up and down on one foot. "You crazy woman! Are you trying to cripple me?"

"Oops. Heh-heh, sorry, Jack." Ann said, hiding her smile behind her hand. "Wait, you _are_ Jack aren't you?"

"I am," Jack sighed. Cliff was coming up to them then, protectively moving behind his girlfriend. Jack nodded, "Good, I wanted to talk to both of you. I have something to say."

"I'm a loser?" Cliff said, "I'm a worthless, no good—"

"—Fine young man and woman, both of you." Jack said, talking over Cliff. "I know Mary told you about me and I also know that you broke your silence about me."

Cliff shrugged, "Sorry, Jack."

Jack held his hand up, "Don't be sorry. You helped me. You brought me back from a very dark place. I owe you both not only my thanks, but my apologies as well. Ann, I took advantage of you and I truly didn't mean to. I hope you can forgive me for doing such a horrible thing to you."

Ann tilted her head in thought. "You know, Jack, it's not entirely your fault. I was a little jealous when you first arrived. Jealous of Popuri because she told me everything about you and how sweet and wonderful you were...I just couldn't get over wanting in some primal way to find out what Popuri was experiencing. I don't know how that led to you and me being intimate, but...there you go. I can't ever forgive myself for doing that, but I do forgive you because of your...thing." She twirled her finger beside her head.

Jack turned to Cliff. "You stuck by me longer than anyone and I did the worst thing that I could possibly do: I slept with your girl. Only the lowest of the low would do that, so I understand if you never forgive me for that. I hope, though, you can accept my apology...Cliff."

Cliff smiled and shook his hand, "What kind of person would I be if I forgave Ann and not you? I'm glad you're back, Jack." The two young men embraced, slapping each other's backs friendly and parting. In some strange, internal fashion, Cliff was glad to have earned back the respect Jack was offering by calling him—finally!—by his own name.

"And Cliff, if you like, you're more than welcome to return as my farm hand." But from the look he gave Ann and the way he scratched the back of his neck, Jack knew the answer was no.

"Well, Jack, the thing is...I've kinda moved into the Inn. Me an' Ann are staying together, I'm working for Doug full-time. Not really paid much, mind you, but there's benefits to working here besides pay." He smiled at Ann, who smiled back.

"Well, I suppose I can't fault you for that." Jack said, "But you taught me a great deal about farming the past six months. I owe you pretty big for that because now, I think, I can finally be the farmer my grandfather can be proud of."

"I think so, too, Jack." Cliff said, putting his arm around Jack's shoulder and leading him away from Ann and out of earshot, "But if you ever have a question, just come get me. I'll be happy to help. But I do have a favor to ask."

"What's that?"

Cliff looked over his shoulder, "Ann and I were talking a little bit about that night you and her were together and...well, I kind of wanna know..."

Jack lifted his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"What's your secret for stamina?"

Jack shrugged, "Well...practice. Lots...and lots...of practice."

The answer was so simple, it seemed almost to stun Cliff, who nodded and said, "Practice. I can practice. I can practice a _lot_."

Jack laughed, "Let me get home."

"Jack," Ann called, running over, "One more thing. I think you should go see Popuri. She's been worried sick about you."

XxXxXxX

The moment Rick let him into the house, Jack knew something was wrong. The house felt oppressive, choking, fearful...it felt like death. Rick's face was ashen and his demeanor sullen. He looked at Jack with a sadness in his eyes. "What do you want, Jack?"

Jack knew this wasn't the time for pleasantries, so he went straight to the heart of the matter. "I came over, Rick, to apologize. I've been a rotten human being for the past few months and there's no excuse for it. I'm sorry, Rick. I'm also sorry I've decked you a few times. I promise, I won't do it again."

Rick seemed to soften. "I guess Popuri's right about you, Jack."

Jack looked at him in question. Rick continued.

"See, ever since Court, she's done nothing but defend her decision, even after all the times you made her cry. But there's no other way to describe it: Jack, she loves you. More than I've ever seen someone love another person. But...there's something you need to know." Rick swallowed, the lump in his throat catching. Through his glasses, Jack could see his eyes brimming with tears.

"Rick?"

"She's got it, Jack. The same thing Mom has, that wasting disease...Popuri's got it. She started showing the symptoms weeks ago and when the Doctor looked her over last week...he confirmed it." The tears finally spilled down Rick's cheeks and he took his glasses off to wipe his eyes.

Jack could only stare ahead in mute horror. That awful illness that had taken Lillia had gotten hold of Popuri now and Jack felt as if a white hot knife had been plunged into his heart. Popuri—sweet, beautiful, angelic Popuri—didn't deserve to have this done to her. "Where is she?" He asked.

"She's sleeping. She's been feeling weaker lately, sleeping more." Rick sniffled, "So is Mom. Jack, I don't know what to do. I can't keep after the farm _and_ tend to Mom and Popuri. It's just...too much." He fell against the nearby couch. Jack sighed, taking in deep, angry breaths.

He couldn't help but feel if this was somehow his fault. But he knew that was ridiculous. What did he have to do with genetics? Nothing. This was how things were and he hadn't affected them. Jack put his hand on Rick's shoulder. "You don't...but _I_ do. Hang loose, Rick. Things'll look better before too long."

"I wish I could believe you." Rick said.

"You will, Rick. You will." He stayed there for another minute and then turned to leave. "Tell Poe I came to see her, but to stay in bed. I'll come by another day."

Jack left and immediately dialed up his cell phone. "Dad? There's something else I want to add to that list you're doing."

XxXxXxX

The next morning, with all the purpose of the world at his heart, Jack put on his overalls, working boots, and his cap on and went out into his farm and did exactly what he had come there to do: farm. He turned Bilbo loose, who was happy to be out after being stuffed inside the stable for so long, and fed Belle and Frodo. He watered and fed the chickens, who were all grown now and turning out bushels of eggs for him to sell.

He didn't sell them, however, but kept them in his fridge. After that, he looked out at his field with purpose, seeing the high weeds and unused earth. This was not what he had come here to see. He went to work, hacking and piling his weeds. After that, he attacked the soil, tilling up a long, long row and many side rows. He finished it all in a day, when it would have taken nearly two days with him and Cliff.

Jack, however, was born again. His strength renewed, his vigor revived, and he went to his work with stunning clarity of mind and lost himself in the week as he worked the farm alone. This was his time, he knew. His solitude to accept because of what he had done. He had to prove to himself, to his farm, that he was worthy to be here and worthy to rebuild what had been neglected and torn down.

He went to town the next day and bought bags and bags of seeds, all kinds, and brought it back and planted it that day. He watered, but never tired. He weeded, but never ached. He chopped wood and beat rocks down, but never felt it's drain until the very end of the day. He fertilized the soil and the sprouts shot into the air before the week finished.

By Monday the following week, Jack stood before his crops, growing tall and green and felt his heart swell with pride. He had accomplished a great deal in such a short time, but now, as he looked out, you could never tell that a Hurricane had come through. And how ironic indeed that it's name was Hurricane Jack. Perhaps that was a bit of comedy on God's side of the issue, but Jack assumed it was symbolic. Like that hurricane, he came in on the winds of destruction, had blown things aside, but now there was life again—rebuilding and rejoicing, for it was not the end of things, but the rebirth of things.

Jack Harris had been reborn. He was the goalless young man when he had first come here.

One year later, Jack Harris was a farmer.

He nodded to himself. Tomorrow he would pick his crops. Tonight, though, he had no doubt there would be some surprises in, if his calculations were right. Tomorrow he harvested his crops and would give each family in town a care basket of fruits and vegetables to help them.

Jack thought about tonight and smiled to himself.

XxXxXxX

Zack liked sleeping outside in the Spring. The weather was right and the stars as your blanket was a comfort he was happy to have. The splash of water, the ripple the waves, the foghorns and yelling sailors...

What?

Zack snapped out of his sleep and perked his ears. He listened...

There!

Voices. Lots of them. He got out of his hammock and looked out over the foggy waters of Flowerbud River. Squinting for long moments, he finally widened them in surprise as a massive barge came out of the fog towards his dock.

"A ship?" He asked.

A barge, to be more precise. A ferry much like his, only longer. Lights shone through towards him and he heard someone yell, "Ho, there! Is this Flowerbud?"

"Yeah!" Zack cried.

"Catch the rope!" The man cried, tossing Zack a thick rope and rushing to tie it off. They took some time before getting the big ferry at a halt and the side-ramp onto the dock, but the first person off was a pot-bellied man with a ragged beard. He smiled at Zack. "You Zack?"

"Yup. Who're you?"

"Captain Ansim Pierce, pilot of this ferry. Me and my little fleet have been hired to help out."

Zack looked at him in confusion. "Fleet? Help out?"

XxXxXxX

A sharp knock came to the door of the Church. Harris ran in and shook away his father. "Dad, you gotta see this. Pastor Ben! All of you. You won't believe this!" The sleepy patrons of the Church, which was now a sort of impromptu shelter for those who had lost their homes, got dressed and followed Harris out into the beach, gasping at what they saw.

Ferry after ferry lined the beach, ramps extended, scores of men unloading everything one could think of onto the shore. Mayor Thomas blinked. "What...what is all this?"

"Things you need, or so I was told." A voice said, belonging to a broad shouldered man who walked up to Mayor Thomas and smiled, "Been a long time, Tom. What happened? I kept growing and you didn't?"

The Mayor shook his head, "Kevin? Kevin Harris? Why...what in the world brings you back to Flowerbud?" He shook hands with Kevin, who shrugged and gestured to the ferry fleet lined up and unloading on the shore.

"You see it with your own eyes. Building supplies, food, crews to put it all together...you name it. We're here to rebuild Flowerbud. What, you didn't think I'd just let my childhood home crumble to the ground, did you?"

"How is this possible?" The Mayor asked, still in a state of disbelief. "We can't afford this."

"Don't have to. It's already paid for, courtesy of the Harris household. Thank Jack, Mayor, it's all coming from his endless pockets. Don't worry...we'll have Flowerbud up and running in no time."

XxXxXxX

Rick was busy preparing a pot of beef stew when he heard a knock at the door. He went to answer it and found a trio of men—aging men in suits—looking back at him. "Can I help you?" He asked.

The lead one, a balding, skinny man with glasses, nodded, "Mr...Rick? How ironic, my name is Rick as well, but I never go by that. I'm Dr. Richard Peltzer, a specialist in diseases from Minnesota. These are my colleagues, Dr. Adams and Dr. Grayson. We were hired by Kevin Harris to see in aiding your mother and sister."

Rick blinked twice, gap-mouthed, "Uh...I don't see how you can help. My dad's scouring the earth trying to find a cure."

Dr. Peltzer pushed his glasses back up his nose, "Well, a proper diagnosis would aid in that direction and, no offense, but your father isn't a doctor. We're highly trained specialists. Frankly, if we can't find the problem, then your mother is beyond help. However, we have several theories as to her prognosis and believe that we _can_ help her."

"I can't afford you guys." Rick said, "I don't make enough money."

"Our fee has been paid." Dr. Grayson said, "We're here for _you_ now, Mr. Rick...and your mother and sister. You want them well, don't you?"

Rick nodded.

"Then lead us to them and we'll use everything at our disposal to do what we can. Sound fair?"

Rick nodded and opened the door. Dr. Grayson put his arm around Rick's shoulders, smiling, "Don't worry, young man, your family is in the best of hands. Meanwhile, tell us what you know about their symptoms. Any information you provide us is helpful in diagnosing them."

Rick's mind reeled as he tried to take it all in, but he thought better of it and merely rattled off the things he knew about his mother's relatively unknown illness. To think that this was happening was more like a dream. A dream come true, but he wouldn't hope for that until Mom and Popuri were cured.

Meanwhile, sitting at home, hearing the distant sounds of work crews unloading, their voices shouting and getting ready to rebuild the town, Jack sat in the shade of a tree with a fishing pole stuck between his toes. He smiled.

He had repaired their hearts...now he would repair their homes. Bigger and better than ever. At the back of his heart, the tiny conscious of Ace Valentine marveled at the simple, yet satisfying pleasure. What was merely stationary millions of dollars a week before was now doing someone some _real_ good.

For that...Ace was happy.


	35. And my heart goes to

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: "My Heart Goes To..."**

The weeks of Spring passed in a daze of the sounds of hammering, electric tools, and excited voices as work crews hurried to repair the hurricane's damage. Jack watched it all from the shadows, so to speak, avoiding the crowds of newcomers to ensure his identity remained safe. Doug's own feelings towards Jack healed once he heard about Jack's apology to Ann and Cliff and he learned that all those nice people staying at his Inn were due to Jack's involvement. And, of course, Jack was paying their Inn fees, so that helped as well.

They focused on the most damaged homes first—especially the Clinic, which needed it's top floor. But more than simply rebuilding, there was also some expansion going on. Jack told Elli and the Mayor that if they needed a few extra rooms, just say the word and it was theirs. Of course, Elli couldn't pass on the opportunity for a new room for herself and Stu, so they didn't have to share. And the Mayor was glad to have a study, so he requested one.

Not all the things brought on the ferry were things to build with. Medical machines—very valuable ones—had been brought by the three visiting doctors treating Popuri and Lillia. All three were busy and not at all willing to tell Jack anything until their diagnosis had been done and through with.

Jack spent the first week with his father, enjoying a lot of quality father-son time that they had simply missed out on as Jack was a child. Kevin Harris noted his farm with pride. "Looks good, Jack. Darn good, to be truthful. Your grandfather would have loved it. It looks better than when he worked the soil."

"I've been caring for my crops." Jack said, dismissing the praise. In truth, he did it because he loved it. The crops, the fields, his animals...all of it. Jack understood what had driven his grandfather so much in the old days. The farm was a full time job and although it was tough, he made it. It was good for his heart and his soul, but he didn't leave behind the thoughts he had of three certain young women.

But that was for another day, he knew. Time now to take to heart all that he had been taking for granted. It was time to make the last person on his list happy and that was who matter most to him right now. He stepped onto the Yodel Ranch and let himself in, since the Ranch considered itself a place of business and Barley was too old to get the door quickly and May too short to reach the doorknob well.

Inside, he found more than the usual suspects. Saibara and Gray were at the supper table, nursing a bowel of grits each. Barley spied Jack and grinned, "Thair he is! The young fella that's makin' this town better than it ever has before! Come in, come in, Jack my boy. How are ya, what's the word?"

"Here on a little business." Jack said, "And to see some friends of mine."

"Friends, eh?" Barley asked, "Yeah, how much does _that_ cost ya?"

"Heh. Quite a lot, sometimes." Jack laughed. He nodded to Saibara and Gray. He had made his peace with them as well, though Gray seemed reluctant to forgive him for the clothesline across the jaw. (There was now a small hole in the Inn's floor and everyone had begun to call it's Gray's Hole)

"Where's the little one?" Jack asked.

"Outside." Barley said, "Swingin' on her swing, as always. She been real down fer the last few weeks. I think she misses yer farm, but you told her not to come back, you did." At that Barley seemed to stare at him hard, but Jack nodded and said, "Well, let's see what we can do about that, can't we? By the way, Saibara, how come the crews haven't started on your smithy yet?"

Saibara grunted, "Well, truth is the Smithy wasn't doing so well, Jack."

"Oh? I could have helped you out a bit. Is money what you needed." Jack mentioned.

Saibara shook his head. "Not that, Jack. Not that at all. Thing is, there's just no need for a smithy. I was the last of a trade that's been out of use since I was a boy and since Gray hasn't picked it up at all...well, it's just time to leave it closed."

"Oh." Jack said, nodding.

"He's right." Gray said, "Sometimes, a man has to be honest with himself about something. I just suck when it comes to being a smithy. It's just not my thing. But that's okay, I wasn't crazy about it anyway."

"Aren't you going to build a house?" Jack asked. "I mean, it's on me, guys, really. I don't mind."

"Well...I could," Saibara said in his gruff voice, "But truth be told, I wanna help my old pal Barley here. He's getting a bit old and needs some help. I don't think it's too late to learn to be a rancher."

"I suppose not." Jack said. "What about you, Gray?"

"I may see if helping the ranch is nice, but we'll see." Gray said, shrugging. In truth, he could almost tell if the job wasn't right for him. It seemed that for now, Gray was a soul without a cause. Still, Jack wasn't about to intrude. He could tell Gray wouldn't be calloused to farm work. He would do it, if Jack asked him to be his farm hand, but his heart wouldn't be in the work and that was what truly mattered in a man and his job.

"Come on, you old fart." Jack said, "I want to pick out some prime stock today. In fact, Saibara, Gray, you could help me out. I aim to take a few good grazers back with me, don't doubt it."

Jack walked outside and Barley turned to Saibara, grinning widely and nodding anxiously. Saibara nodded and held up his fingers, rubbing them together in the international sign of 'money, money, money'

Outside, Jack found May sitting on her tire swing, going back and forth with a quiet look about her. He smiled, "Hello there, pretty lady. How are you today?"

May took one look at Jack and her eyes lit up and the child's ability to forget something so wrong as a yelling vanished as the tall adult that she adored jumped down from her tire swing and ran over yelling, "Mr. Jack, Mr. Jack, Mr. Jack." She ran right into his arms and he swept her up, tossing her above his head and catching her again all to the delightful screams of the five year old little girl.

Holding her in his arms, Jack proceeded through Barley's herds and picked out five cows and five sheep. With a little time and some help from the Ranch hands, he got them all to his house before the end of the day and had them in his bright green pasture that took up over half his field. He put them in with Belle and Frodo and gave them some cow and sheep names (Besse, Dolly, Bonnie, Blue, and Momma Doll for his cows and Shag, Wooly, Carpetback, Fuzzball, and May called the last one Mr. Rumples, so he kept it)

The end of the week, on a celebratory Friday, Jack saw his father off on Zack's repaired ferry. "Wish you could stay, Dad." Jack said. "Friday nights are a hoot. We got the women in on it since last Summer."

"Your mother's going to be worried, Jack. I told her I'd be home Sunday morning, so I'd better get going. You enjoy yourself, Jack." He hugged his son, "I'm proud of you, Jack. I know your grandfather would be, too."

"Yeah. I love ya, pops."

"Love you too, son."

Jack stood on the edge of the pier, watching his father disappear into the horizon. With a start, Jack realized that today was the day of the Harvest Festival. Oh well, he figured. No real bother since everyone was focused on making it through the rebuilding process. Several ferries were parked on the shore. Plenty of food had been unloaded, however Jack was still farming his proverbial tail off to help get fresh veggies and fruits to his hometown.

Nothing was good enough for Jack. He had to do more, had to help everyone that he could and the silent voice of Ace was complying more than he thought. The side of him that was Ace couldn't get enough of doing for the people. The exhilarating feeling that came over him knowing that what was small to him was life-changing to others was unlike any other he had ever felt before. And he wanted more of it. He had to do more.

But aside from completely renovating the entire village, there wasn't much he _could_ do. Homes could only be rebuilt so fast. He could only do so much. Jack was, after all, only human.

He went home and reflected on his time here. So much of it, for so long, had seemed so pointless. A hopeless pursuit of growing crap and chasing skirts. Now that the turmoil that had made everything seem pointless to begin with had faded, he had his purpose, his sense of belonging back. Now he was _whole_, and eager to stay his life here.

Yet, it wasn't truly over, he knew. Not really. He knew that one of the messes he had made that couldn't be fixed with money. He had been triple-dipping with Mary, Karen, and Popuri. Now, at the end of his troubles, he had an even more personal trouble to face, because there was an unsettling, yet definite truth about this that Jack could no longer deny.

He was truly in love with three different women.

But now, with his mind cleared, he knew what to make of it all and why he had done and felt with each girl.

Mary—shy, assuming, angelic Mary—he loved him with all his mind. When they were together, she was on his intellectual level and they both knew it. They loved books, they loved talking about books, and the stimulating conversations between them were ones Jack adored, had looked forward to each night when the craving for BLTs hit him. It was a love between minds, a longing for equals, that drove Jack to love Mary.

Karen—stunning, sly Karen—this was a love that was rooted in the physical. He loved Karen with his body, but there was more to it than that. She complimented the side of him that leaned towards Ace. He had driven that similar part of her mind and the end result was their Christmas Eve fling. Karen was appealing, friendly, fun to be around, and he truly knew she was as much a part of him now as he was a part of her. If she hadn't felt something, she wouldn't have given him that part of her that couldn't ever be returned. Something was there, it simply had to be nurtured into something more and not stuck in the physical side of the relationship.

Ann had complimented Ace and, in another lifetime, he could have seen himself with Ann, but she was with Cliff. For that, he was glad—even more so that they were able to get over his sleeping with her. Jack had to admit that made Cliff more of a man than him. He could never do that, had never done it when he caught two of his old girlfriends cheating on him.

And then there was Popuri. There was no mere words to describe what Jack felt. Popuri was a true rarity in these days and times. And unassuming, innocent young lady at the verge of womanhood, but never letting her girlish self go. She was waiting, he knew. Not the sexual waiting, waiting for marriage, but waiting in her heart. Waiting for Jack because she had long ago made her choice. She was waiting for Jack to admit that he loved her as much as she loved him and they could go on with their lives together.

Whereas Jack loved Mary with his mind and Karen with his body...

He loved Popuri with his heart.

And that had brought out the true _JACK_ in Jack. The soft side of him he hadn't seen since he was younger, more carefree. She was carefree, loving, heart-felt in everything she did, and wanting nothing more than to become the woman she knew she could become, but she couldn't do it without him. It was him or no one, he could see that. She asked him for nothing but his mere presence and suddenly Jack understood.

That's what true love is all about.

Not how much money or how many games you're willing to play. Popuri didn't play games to make Jack pursue her. Jack hated games like that—like 'hard to get'—because he knew they just wanted to tease him, get him to spend extravagant amounts of energy and cash to prove he wanted to date her. Popuri didn't do that. All he had to do was smile and kiss her and Popuri would leap into a flaming chasm for him and _that_, he realized was true love.

And the more he thought about it, the more he thought that this made sense. Never did he feel happier than when he was with Popuri. He infectious happiness, her bright demeanor, her endless joy at anything that life had for her was a pure spirit that Jack had never seen in another person.

Except Wendy.

And now he had to face the facts. He was at the edge of a threshold, but would he jump or not. He had missed his chance with Wendy—last he had heard was that she was married with several kids, but was his chance with either of the three women he loved gone? Would he spend his life with one or the other or the other?

No, Jack said to himself. It had to be one and he prayed, literally, for a solution to be delivered. What was he to do about these girls and was one of them right for him? What kind of love did he have for these girls? He had to find out. He had to know.

It was time to see who the girl he would love for the rest of his life was going to be.

XxXxXxX

Night fell and Jack walked down the avenue to Mary's house. It was dark and he wanted it that way. There was no way he wanted to been seen in public, this was a private matter between the two of them. No one had any right to see or hear anything from it. This was strictly between Jack and Mary. He held in his hands a brown wrapped package, which he simply held in his hands.

Before he had even arrived at her house, she was leaving her door and pounding the pavement towards him, her blouse and skirt flapping in the cool Spring breeze that was drifting through that day. She smiled when she saw him, "I knew you were coming."

"BLTs?" Jack smiled, laughing.

"Every time." Mary answered, pushing her bang behind her bang behind her ear. "So...I guess you wanted to talk."

"That would be the correct assumption." Jack said. "Ever since I was...well, I hesitate to say cured, but ever since I got my head on straight I've been wondering about my relationships and I knew sooner or later I have to make a choice."

They started walking down the avenue towards the Clinic and the Church. Jack proceeded to tell Mary what he knew so far. "I love you, Mary. I know that much for certain. I fell in love with you, I think, because I never met my female intellectual equal." Jack told her everything he knew that he loved about her, why he loved those things, and how it was an attraction of the mind more than anything, but that it was a solid things they could build on.

Jack, ever the master of body language, could see from Mary's eyes that something different was dwelling within her eyes. Almost certain was he about her answer. She sighed deeply, "I can see you thought a long hard time about this, Jack. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy being in love with two men. I know now why I've felt the things I've felt between us. Jack, we're two of a kind, really we are, but ever since our separation since before the snowstorm, I had a lot of time to think and reflect on what you mean to me."

"Did you find out anything?" Jack asked.

Mary smiled gently, "Great minds think alike. You said everything I wanted to say, Jack."

The two of them laughed, stopping in the middle of Rose Square and facing each other. Mary hugged on arm, "But things are different now, Jack. I had a chance to think, to really think, and take into account some other things. One was that you did physically strike me. Good or bad, it's something I can't really allow into my life, Jack. I swore it to myself that I would never, ever allow that to enter my life. So...unfortunately, that's a strike against you...even though I do forgive you for extenuating circumstances."

Jack nodded, accepting what she said. "I deserve it. Sorry."

"Then I took into account the fact that you have been, since last year, courting two other girls besides me. That hurt at first, but after talking with Ace a few times it was obvious that he wasn't _completely _responsible for all that happened. You, Jack, have issues with women and that's obvious."

Jack was silent for a moment before a new voice spoke up. "You couldn't have said that any better, Mary." Mary and Jack turned to see a young girl approaching—one who's taste in purple vests was questionable.

Karen stepped out of the unseen shadows and approached with her hands up. "I was standing nearby, I didn't mean to interrupt. But I heard you two talking and...well, I think I have a few things to add to what Mary's saying, Jack."

"This is really between me and Mary right now." Jack said, "I wanted to catch you later."

Karen and Mary stood side-by-side, watching Jack. Jack felt like he was being sized up by a couple of his ex-girls. In a way, he kind of was. "Jack, you have issues with women." Karen said, "Not just with us, but with women in general."

Jack crossed his arms. "Okay. So what kind of issues do I have?"

"Well, let's start with your seven ex-girlfriends." Mary said, adjusting her glasses. "Where do you think things went wrong with them?"

Jack shrugged, "They were all crappy girlfriends?"

"How did you meet them?" Karen asked, "Why did you start dating them?"

"Well..." Jack began to think. "I met them all through my job. They knew me, of course, but most of them started giving me eyes and I was hooked for a little while. Of course, it always ended crappy."

"You mean like this." Karen said, smiling at Jack and eyeing him the way she always had. Jack jumped back, "Er, yeah. Just like that. Drives me wild, those eyes."

"Well, no wonder." Karen said, "All your girlfriends you ever had you dated because they did something you liked, but tell me this: was there ever a connection like you and Mary?"

"No."

"And then the only reason you made advances with me was because I made eyes at you and we were physically attracted." Karen said, "Mary for her mind and me for my body, but you were looking for both in one, right?"

Jack nodded, "That makes sense."

"But that's not all." Mary said, pointing her finger, "Because even though we're having this conversation, Jack, you and I both know where it's going to go."

Jack grimaced and nodded again. "Yes, I believe so. You're going to dump me, right?"

Mary shook her head. "No, Jack. We're mutually splitting what we had and if I'm not completely insane, I'm betting you aren't hurt by it."

Jack looked at her emptily and sighed. "No. Disappointed, I suppose. I guess, in a way, I knew it wouldn't work out."

"The same reason why we won't work, Jack." Karen said, "But I'm betting you already knew that, too."

Jack shook his head, "No, actually, I didn't. I thought that...there was something we could have done. We could have..." But he saw Karen shaking her head as he said this.

Karen just looked disappointed, "Jack, you just don't get it. You are I, we were all about our bodies. Our hearts didn't enter the picture until later and by then it was too late. I've seen your ugly side, Jack, and every time I look at you—even now—I just can't get things out of my head: the way you looked at me like a hungry bear spying a fish, those times where the only thing I knew was what your hands grabbed, Christmas Eve and that foul language you spoke to me. Jack, it's just too much for me. You hurt me, Jack. As glad as I am that you've gotten rid of Ace, I simply can't live knowing the things I know."

Karen swallowed hard, "But that's not all, Jack. I want to _leave_, Jack, and now that I've gotten over you, taken care of this last little bit of my life here, I want to get away from Flowerbud and see the world. I want to wake up in the Bahamas and watch the water. I want to hike up the slopes of Stone Mountain. I want to walk through New York City. I want to see the West and East Coast. Jack, I want to _live_! You came here to stay the rest of your life. Being with you, Jack, would be putting the final nail in the coffin of my life. I don't want to be here, Jack. I want to go and if I'm with you...I couldn't do that."

"So for the sake of my sanity and to keep things less complicated...I don't want to be your girl. I hope you can forgive me, but I also don't want to end up as girlfriend #8."

Jack looked between the two of them. "You two sure know how to make a guy sweat it out. I guess you got it all figured out. I wish...I guess I can't say I'm sad about parting, but I never liked not finishing something. I guess now it makes sense when I look at it, but I wish I hadn't hurt both of you like this."

Mary and Karen seemed to soften in their faces. Mary reached up and touched his cheek, "Jack, any hurting I had I cried out over the Winter, when you were at home. Mostly, I studied on your split personality condition and a way I could help you with it. Eventually, I knew that in order to help you, I had to play the part of your enamored girl. You see, Jack, I actually lost interest before your explosion as Ace. I think the moment it came was when Ace wanted me to be his personal toy was the moment I knew I was getting in over my head and eventually got over you. I'm sorry to tell you this way, but it's the truth. Jack...I just fell out of love with you."

She waved her hand with a smile. "But don't worry about me. I'm fine. My heart will go on and all that nonsense and if you like, we can still read books together and eat BLTs, we just won't be cuddling or whatnot."

Karen looked to Mary, "You sly little minx. I knew there was more to you than a studious bookworm. All those trashy romance novels your read, I knew there had to be a dirty girl somewhere behind those little glasses."

Mary rolled her eyes.

Jack shrugged, looking to Karen. "What about you?"

Karen shrugged back. "I'll be okay, Jack. But...seriously, I think you need to work on your intimacy skills. If you were an overweight biker, I could have expected something like that out of you, but for future reference, you may want to tone down...everything." She twirled her hands around in the air, trying to find a subtle way to tell him he was a crappy lover.

Jack nodded, "I'll remember that." He sighed, "Well, I guess that's that. The ear of Jack and Mary and Jack and Karen is over. I'm sorry I put you two through everything, I really am. I hope you don't—"

"Jaaaack." Mary and Karen said together.

"No one's blaming you, Jack." Mary said.

"We understand and forgive you." Karen said.

"There's just one other thing." Mary said, pointing to the distant lights of the Poultry Farm. "You're crazy if you think that in this small town you can get away with dating one girl—much less three at once—and get away with people not knowing. Popuri doesn't know it, but Ann had been working on her behalf for months now."

Karen smiled, "Ann almost threatened to choke me. After the whole thing with me and you on Christmas Eve, Ann started telling me what Popuri thinks of you. Jack, I may not know what love is to me, but I can certainly see it in Popuri. She's a kind girl, a really innocent soul and I, for one, am not going to stand between her and you. That's another reason I don't want to try and start over with you."

"She's right, Jack." Mary said, "Popuri loves you. Not like I loved you or Karen loved you, with her mind or her body, but with her heart. Every day since you arrived, or so Ann has told us, Popuri has prayed to God, wished upon stars, blown on dandelions, looked for shooting stars...anything you want, she did it all in the hope that you'd eventually stop fooling around and sweep her off her feet. I don't want to stand between you and Popuri. You can see it, too. If this were some kind of story being written by a wanna-be author, the people reading it would probably see it too."

Mary pushed her glasses up. "Tell me, Jack. Who was Wendy? You screamed her name several times during your fight with Ace."

Jack lowered his head. "Wendy was my first girlfriend. We...we were supposed to get married after high-school, but I dumped her because I wanted to make my mark on the world.

"And did you?" Karen asked.

Jack nodded.

"And was it worth it?"

Jack shook his head.

Karen smiled, "Then you've finally learned something about women. If you don't want to repeat what happened with you and Wendy, then you have a chance to make your life with Popuri—the life you could have had with Wendy. Jack, you're getting a second chance at love, most people don't ever have that chance in their lives.

Jack nodded. "Right. I know. I...I love Popuri. She's been so wonderful to me and I've taken her for granted. I went behind her back and saw the two of you. This must have broken her heart."

Karen put her hand on his shoulder. "Then go see her, Jack. She's sick and seeing you would brighten her up. Go to her, Jack."

Jack nodded. "Thanks. Both of you. I do love you, no matter what we say. You'll both always be special to me." He took the two girls in a tight, long embrace together and when he parted, there wasn't a dry eye amongst them. Jack handed Mary the brown package he had been holding. "This is for you, Mary."

She turned it over in her hands. "What is it?"

"A surprise." Jack said with a twinkle in his eye, "But only for when you get home. There's another surprise on the dock. I want you to go look. It just got here this afternoon. Take care." He waved to the two of them as he walked off for Farm Row, leaving the two of them behind.

Mary turned to Karen. "Come on, let's go see."

Together, the two of them set off for the docks, where they found boxes upon boxes stacked higher than they were and waiting with a piece of paper on the side that read: _"For Flowerbud's head Librarian."_

Mary ripped open the top of one box and looked inside, her mouth dropping so far down her glasses fell off her face. Karen smiled when she saw the contents. "Looks like you've got some work ahead of you, Mary."

Each box was stuffed to the rim with books. Books upon books upon books. Fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, romance, history, botanical guides...literature of every kind and all of it brand-spanking new. Mary picked her glasses up, smiling from ear-to-ear and cried as she happily ran her fingers along the wonderful books that would replace the ones lost in the hurricane.

XxXxXxX

Jack knocked on the door to the Poultry Farm and a moment later, Rick answered the door. "Jack?"

"Hey, Rick. Can I see, Poe?"

"Actually," Rick pushed his glasses onto his nose, "This is a bad time."

"Is that Jack?" Popuri's voice called. Rick looked back and then opened the door for Jack. Popuri and Lillia sat together on the couch, the three doctors standing before them in the living room. "Rick, don't be rude. Invite Jack in."

Rick shook his head, "Popuri, this isn't an appropriate time."

Popuri looked past her brother and to Jack, "Jack, please come in. I could use your support. Rick, Jack deserves to be here."

"Why?" Jack asked as he walked in. "What's going on?"

Dr. Peltzer looked to Jack, "We've determined the illness that Miss Lillia and Miss Popuri have. If you'd like to sit down, Mr. Jack." As soon as Jack was sitting next to Popuri—and after he took her hand—Dr. Spalding continued, "You both have contracted a very rare disease known as Chronic Wasting Syndrome. CWS is rare and it deteriorates the body's stores of energy. It can mimic a dozen or so other diseases, which is why your medication hasn't helped, miss Lillia."

"Can you treat it?" Rick asked.

"Well, the disease is a little more complicated than that." Dr. Peltzer said, "It is also affected by the person's mental state of being. The will to fight off the illness is more important than the medication. A person fighting it can very well overcome it's affects. However, someone who has a very depressed mood will see worse symptoms than usual. In your case, Miss Lillia, your desperation to see your husband is affecting you very badly. You won't get well until...well, until you're happy again."

Lillia nodded, "And that won't happen until I see my husband again."

"Now, the illness is treatable, Miss Lillia, but I'm afraid you've shown symptoms for so long, you would only regain about seventy percent of your former capabilities back. You'll still be weaker than you were. However, Miss Popuri has only recently shown symptoms, so for her, as long as she's happy, can retain her full health as long as she medicated and avoids very serious bouts of depression—which would accelerate the illness. Do you understand, miss Popuri?"

Popuri swallowed. "I do."

"How much is the medication?" Rick asked.

"Very expensive." Dr. Peltzer said.

"Don't worry about that." Jack said.

"Mr. Jack, am I to assume you're the one footing our bill?"

Jack nodded, "I am. Just do what you're trained to do and you'll get paid."

Dr. Peltzer looked to his watch, "Well, it's about time to get to bed for us. We'll be over tomorrow to start your medication treatments, miss Lillia, Popuri." The doctors bid them farewell and left. As soon as they were gone, Jack turned to Popuri. "Poe, can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

She nodded and Jack watched with great sadness as Popuri moved slowly from the couch to the door where they went outside and stood beside the creek.

"I've missed you, Jack." She said softly.

Jack put his arm around her, resisting the urge to simply take her in a long kiss. How could he have been so blind? How could he have not seen her before now? How could he have passed up his one true love for so long? Well, that ended tonight.

"I missed you too, Poe. Listen, I want to tell you something. Something personal to me. For a long time, I've been hiding behind Ace's shell, his stature, his strength, but not any more. Thanks to you and everyone else, I've got my head on straight and I've never thought more clearer. I made some mistakes, I did some stupid things, but now I know the truth."

He turned to her, holding her hands in his, "I know now I always felt something for you. The way my heart just swelled when we were together, those wonderful dinners and dances we had together...everything all leads to the same conclusion. I love you, Popuri. I've buried my head in my neither regions and I've ignored it entirely, but I won't lose you, Poe. I love you too much to even think about throwing away the kind of lover we have together. I'm so sorry I never returned the love you showed me, but that all in the past. Popuri, my heart goes to _you_." He smiled, his face flushed and his chest ready to explode as his heart pounded against his rib cage.

But Popuri just stared at him.

Jack frowned, "What's wrong?"

"I wish I could believe you, Jack." She said, lowering her eyes, "But ever since you went into a rage at Court...all I can see is your angry face, yelling at people, yelling at _me_!"

"I know, Poe. But that wasn't me, it was Ace. You have to forgive me, Poe. Give me a second chance." He got on one knee before her, looking into her eyes and slinging his hat onto the ground. No, this wasn't happening, it couldn't be. Not again. Not like what happened with Wendy. Only now the roles were reversed. Now he was like Wendy was, begging him to stay, begging Popuri to take him.

But she shook her head, "But that's just it, Jack. How much of what we had was really you? How much was Ace? Was any of it real? Did I love a man who didn't exist? Or maybe I loved Ace."

"No!" Jack cried, "Ace was the bad one. He was the one who tried to force you into something you didn't want."

"And when he couldn't get what he wanted, he turned to Karen...or Ann." Popuri sniffled, her eyes wet with tears, "Jack, was there anyone in this town you _didn't_ sleep with? I know the answer: me. Why, Jack? Were you teasing me? Was I just someone to play with and kiss around with behind Karen's back? Was I supposed to put out when you wanted just to keep you? No thank you, I have more respect for myself than that."

"The truth is, Jack, that I don't believe you were completely innocent, no matter what Mary says. Ace may have done some bad things, but let's face it: you didn't stop him very well, if you wanted to stop him at all. You say you love me, but I don't...Jack, I don't know if I can believe you or not."

Now Popuri was crying full force, "You hurt me so badly, Jack! I just wanted to die, but I couldn't. I wouldn't. Because that was the cheap way out. I'm not going to abandon my life because I got hurt. I'm not a little girl anymore, Jack. I'm not the same Popuri you kissed in the meadow. I'm a woman, Jack. I'm a _woman_ and I know for myself what I want to do."

Jack shook his head, his heart thudding in dull pain. "Please, Popuri...I love you. I don't want to lose you. I swear upon everything I have that I do love you, it just took me too long to realize it. I swear, Popuri, if you'll give me a second chance I'll make it up to you. I _do_ love you. But please, don't tell me you don't want to see me anymore. I promise no more tears, no more hurting, nothing but you and me and every happy moment we can spend together. Please? I love you, Popuri."

For a long moment, Popuri was silent and when she lifted her head, he could see her eyes sparkling that way they always had when she looked up him. But they were only there before she lowered her eyes again and the door slammed shut; Jack felt his heart sink to the level of his left boot.

"Jack...I...I did love you, but now...I don't know what to think. Please...for now...let me be. Let me think for a while, let me be on my own and help my mom with this. Please, Jack? Until I'm ready to say yes or no or anything like that...just let me be?"

Jack shut his eyes. In some way, he knew that was the only hope she had and it was better than nothing at all. It meant to give her some time to reconsider...or some time to cement her feelings. Right now, nothing was getting accomplished. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her, hold her, love her like he wanted. But by the time he could even lifted his head, she was going inside. Jack sank to his knees, put his head in his hands, and cried harder than he ever had before.

XxXxXxX

Mary sat on her bed at bedtime, looking at the package. It was a large envelope, stuffed thick. The address was from a placed called _Pendant Publishing._ She opened it and pulled out a stack of papers. She picked up a letterhead and read it:

"_Dear Miss Mary," _

"_Mr. Harris graciously sent us a copy of your manuscript and we were very impressed. We would like to have you on as one of our contract authors with a beginning advance of eight thousand dollars, with more if royalties surpass the advance. (Which we are sure they will). Enclosed is your contract to write for pendant publishing. With your permission, we'll put your first novel into a hardcover edition, then mass distribution in paperback. We look forward to working with you on future projects. Please reply promptly."_

"_Monica Weston, Editor-in-chief"_

Mary could only gasp and read the letter until she couldn't even understand what the words meant anymore.


	36. On the Edge of Forever

**CHAPTER THRITY-SIX: "On the Edge of Forever"**

The end of Spring came on a rainy day that Jack spent in the fields, getting his last Spring harvest in for the selling. He was going to regret this, he knew, working in the rain like this, but what choice did he have? The crops would wither in the Summer heat and he couldn't lose this crop, it was going to help the townsfolk again.

Jack worked numbly, with a sickened ache in his gut. He loved his farming, but his heart just wasn't in it these past few weeks. He stayed in the fields, looking up often to see if he could catch a flash of that lovely pink hair, her beautiful smile. How had it come to this? Why was this happening? Was this punishment for his inability to go to Popuri in time? He couldn't bear the thought of being away from her anymore, but he had no choice.

He supposed it should have been his just rewards. He had let Ace rule him for so long, he didn't know how to shut him out when he didn't need him anymore. Now things were looking up...only to go right back down and Jack was left with himself and himself only.

He pushed the last crate of turnips into the cooler and closed it, leaving the produce for Zack to come get. Jack ran inside and proceeded to take the longest hot shower in his recent memory, all the while day-dreaming of Popuri scooting around in her red and black dress and smiling at him all the while. He smiled back at the phantom Popuri and she blushed. She was so easy to make blush. Jack liked it. It was kind of like a buzzer that went off when he knew he was doing something right.

The weeks had passed slowly again and without much to speak of. Day in, day out, farm and water, crop and grow, say hi to those he passed. But his mood was sullen, held down by the event with Popuri.

He had spoken to Rick, but there wasn't anything he could do. "I tried talking to her, but she won't listen to reason. She was really hurt by you, Jack. I think that by the time you came back, she had already made up her mind to get over you. You coming back like that was probably a surprise she wasn't prepared for."

Jack had to come to terms with that. Popuri had, in his absence, been trying to mend her heart after the damage Jack had done. Jack wished he had someone to blame, someone to aim the finger at, but he could only blame himself. There wasn't anyone left to blame. No girl had told her to get over him, she had done it on her own. She was right. She wasn't a girl anymore. Jack knew he was stupid to even assume he could have toyed with her for that long and not been burned.

Now he was all on his own. He was sure word had spread, because people were giving him looks of sympathy, sadness, patting him on the shoulder as if to say 'Cheer up, you'll be alright'. But it wasn't alright. Everything he saw reminded him of Popuri and he couldn't stand it. The very thought of her made him want to cry. Every time he looked at the dinner table, he could see the phantom Popuri waiting in her dress, ready for dinner and a dance. When he walked in the fields, he could see the phantom Popuri at the corner of his eye, watching him and smiling. When he went to bed...well, he didn't even allow himself to comfort of pretending with her like he did with Karen. He would snuggle next to the red pillow she had given him and imagine he was holding her in his sleep.

The following day came: the first day of Summer. Jack headed down to the Inn to have a good breakfast and, hopefully, some good company.

Just because the girl he loved wasn't loving him back didn't mean Jack was spending all his time moping. There was still a lot to do for the community. The homes were all finished with the exterior construction, but the interior was being working on. Painting and carpeting was just about the only thing left and most of the families chose to do it on their own. Furnishing was another issue, but Jack merely handed them some catalogs and said "Order whatever you want."

So furniture came in each ferry, every week. The town was shaping back up. The uprooted trees had been taken away, the homes rebuilt. Jack, of course, wanted everyone to live comfortably. So with his checkbook out, he made sure everyone was not paying anything more than they had to. He paid off Jeff's mortgage, causing the little man to faint. He bought brand new everything for the Clinic, making the Doctor a happy person now that he had better equipment to help nurse the town with. He rebuilt the Church and it towered a great three stories with a nice big stained glass window at the top where the bell was. The new bell was so loud, it could be heard at the top of Mother's Hill.

Mary's new Library was stacked to the ceiling with books, with more arriving each week. Mary relished in the job and took great pride in it. Now, as the new books rolled in, people began going to the Library more and more. Jack even saw Duke in there, looking at a book about wines and vineyards and Duke was rumored to be allergic to books.

Jack had re-earned the trust and love of the townsfolk. It had taken a lot of money, but money was something he had in abundance. What was he going to do with so much cash while he lived on a farm?

He splurged a little bit and brought Cliff over to see Jack's gift to himself. Cliff gaped when he saw the Xbox 360 and PS3 sitting neatly under the big tv in Jack's living room. "No way!"

"Way." Jack said. "All the Call of Duty and Gears of War we can handle." So nights sometimes had Jack and Cliff, playing until the wee hours of the morning while Ann would occasionally watch, or occasionally have her tiny hiney handed to her on a silver platter if she tried to play. She dismissed the electronic forms of entertainment as 'Kiddie crap'

But all the while, Jack wished Popuri was with him. He could only wish and wait.

XxXxXxX

He reached the Inn and went inside, smiling as he found the Doctor and Elli inside, sharing some breakfast. Yes, those two had been growing closer. Spring's whole 'Love in the air' attitude had caught onto them perfectly. He sat down and Cliff came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. He approached Jack and asked, "So, what'll it be?"

"Something that isn't a dress for you to wear." Jack said. "I'll take some grits, eggs, and bacon, and those eggs better be cooked. Oh, God help you if I find runny eggs, Cliff."

Cliff rolled his eyes. "My heart bleeds." He was about to turn to go cook the food when the sudden sound of singing caught their ears. A horrible male tone that couldn't hold pitch or sing in key, but sang nonetheless. They watched the door, the singing growing louder and louder until the door kicked in and Kai stood at the entrance, his hands out wide, his voice bellowing, "LOOOOOOK WHOOOO'S HEEEEEEERE!"

"KAI!" Jack and Cliff cried at the same time. They jumped out of their seats and approached the young man enthusiastically. A round of hugs and backslaps later, Kai had joined Jack at the table while Cliff went to fix a complimentary breakfast for Kai.

"Amigo!" Kai said, sitting next to Jack and grinned like a fool, "Been lookin' forward to seein' you again. Things been crazy since last Summer, ya know?"

"Oh yeah?" Jack asked. "Like what?"

"Like your boss's business goin' down and hard." Kai said matter-of-factly. "Business went bad, nobody was watching, they shut the whole company down."

Jack whistled. "No kidding? St. Claire went belly-up? What about the guys in AWF?"

Kai shrugged, "I seen some on tour. They doin' what they always did and jump into the ring. Some of em' took it kinda bad, I heard. You know that girl you were with in Paris, Mira? Well, after thanksgiving last year, she just vanished. Gone. Adios. No one's heard from her. They said she pulled a Valentine."

Jack grinned, "So I started something did I? I hope too many guys weren't too unhappy."

"Well, I know one was, at least." Kai said. "You're little friend, Butch the Cleaver? I saw him and he wasn't too happy at all. Guy seemed a little down because he was the last AWF champ before it closed house."

"But he was the champ ever since I left." Jack said. "He should be proud to be champ for so long, to defend it so well for so long."

"Bah." Kai waved his hand, "He was a paper champ and you know it. He was good, but he wasn't Ace Valentine. That's what mattered to folks. No one could take it away from him because the guys that St. Claire lined up against him were no good. Me?" Kai crossed his legs cockily and jabbed his thumb at his chest, "I'd have taken that little bauble from him right quick. You know I could, Jack."

Jack nodded, "I know you could."

"So...what's up with you these days, Amigo?"

Jack sighed and shook his head, "Where do I start?"

XxXxXxX

Jack spread the tale long through the day and into the night. Kai listened like the friend he was and that was something Jack was eternally grateful for. He didn't laugh or act sickened by him, but sat and listened without question. At the end of the day, he and Jack had made their way back to his house and were sitting in his living room when Jack finished with the events of his encounter with Popuri.

"So here I am: stuck by myself, unable to convince the woman I love to give her a second chance."

Kai leaned back in his chair, "Amigo, with all due respect, you sort of got what you deserve."

Jack felt what was the remnants of Ace swell up and want to hit Kai, but Jack tied the feeling down. Kai was right, he _had_ gotten what he deserved. He had toyed with his emotions and the emotions of others and paid for it with their trust. What trust he had earned came from everyone else but the one person he wanted it from the most.

"Yeah...you're right, Kai." Jack hung his head. They changed the subject and as the sun's glow began to fade, he and Kai walked down the length of Jack's field, admiring his work on the fields, his animals. Jack took it all in, but what seemed like so much before felt like too little now. When they got near the end of the field, they looked out over its length and caught a glimpse of Popuri out near her edge of the creek. She looked at both of them and then turned around to leave.

"She's so beautiful." Jack said, "I don't know why I didn't see it beforehand."

"You ain't tellin' me nothing', Jack." Kai said, pointing to his eyes, "These eyes were only for her...before you came along."

Jack looked to Kai in question. "What do you mean?"

Kai stuffed his hands into his pockets, rocking on his feet. "'Fore you come along, Amigo...Popuri was _my_ girl. I don't mean that literally, I mean I'd been tryin' to work on courtin' her for years, but things just didn't seem to work out that way."

"How so?"

Kai shrugged, looking up at the first stars peeking out under the Summer sky. "Well, I mean first thing that stood between us was my travelin'. I love to travel, Jack. I can't stand bein' in one place too long, but Flowerbud is as close to settlin' as I come by. Second is her brother, Rick. The guy hates me." He paused for a minute, "I'm not being cute, I mean it: Rick hates my guts, man. He'd just as soon hit me as slap the taste outta my mouth, ya know? But I figure I keep sweet-talkin' her, some roses here and there, and she comes with me on a tour or two. Romance in faraway lands and all that stuff. Girls love it. But every time I mentioned it to Popuri, she just kind of tuned me out."

"I guess there's nothing for me here now." Jack said, looking into the sky wistfully. He smiled softly, "But there's still more I could do. I don't have to wrestle anymore, I've made more than enough money to last me the rest of my life. But I could do something for the business, you know? Give back a little. Start my own federation and run it the _right_ way. I'd put you in the first title defense." Kai smiled as Jack nudged him.

"That'd be something worth working towards." Kai said, "Are you sure you wouldn't just put the title on you?"

Jack shook his head, "No, I've had my moment in the spotlight. I figure, maybe for once, I'll give back to the business that made me. Help make some new faces and bring everyone back. St. Claire shut down because of his own idiocy. I figure I can do it right."

Kai nodded. "What about Popuri?"

XxXxXxX

A few days passed. Popuri sat in her room, lonely, sullen, taking her medication just liked the doctors wanted of her. But something was missing. She felt horrible, empty inside. How could she possibly have done that to Jack?

Because she didn't want to be hurt again, that's why. Because she'd had more than enough of being hurt in the past year to last her a lifetime. Because she didn't want so much heartache. She rolled over on her bed and sighed, staring at the ceiling.

Still, was that over, wasn't it? No matter how much her head told her that it was supposed to be over now that Ace was gone. That meant Jack, the man who loved her, the one who had always loved her, was the only left. Wasn't he? Did Jack love her? Or was it Ace? Had she, on accident, killed the man who had loved her?

No, that couldn't be. Only Jack had ever shown her affection. He was right about Ace being the one that had tried to take advantage of her. Jack had only ever given her the all the kindness of his heart. Now she was driving him away, all the while trying to convince herself that she couldn't mend the harm that was done by Ace. Wasn't that was what love was about? Hadn't Cliff forgiven Ann, even after she had slept with Jack? Did that mean she should hold Ace's sins against Jack?

She sat up right in her bed. "No." She told herself. No, it didn't.

Popuri slapped her self. "Get a hold of yourself." She said, "What he did hurt you. Are you going to reward him for hurting you? Is that it?" She held her hand to her head. She felt a headache coming, a tiny voice at the back of her mind telling her what she was saying from her mouth. She felt...divided.

She shook her head. What was going on?

Suddenly, she heard the door downstairs slam shut. Footsteps pounded the floor coming towards her door. Before she had a chance to see who it was, the door was thrown ajar and Ann exploded into her room. "Popuri!"

"Ann, is something wrong?" Popuri asked.

Ann grabbed Popuri by the cuff of her dress and shook her, "I just ran all the way from the Inn and dashed into your room screaming your name...OF COURSE SOMETHING'S WRONG!"

"What is it?" Popuri asked, suddenly worried at Ann's sudden tone and appearance. Something had her worried and badly.

Ann sighed, trying to catch her breath. "I just saw Jack passing the Inn with some bags in his hands. I asked Kai if he knew anything about it and he said Jack was leaving town once and for all! Said he couldn't live here knowing that you didn't love him!"

"I-I-I-I told him I didn't want to be hurt anymore!" Popuri said, her heart sinking into the vicinity of her right boot.

"Well, I'd say you'll be hurt now!" Ann said. "You'd better try and catch Jack. The ferry leaves any minute now! You'd better—OOF!" Ann suddenly found herself sprawled onto the ground as Popuri bowled over her in the fastest rush Ann had ever seen. Before she could even pick herself up off the floor, Popuri was running through the door.

She hurried as fast as her feet could carry her, picking her dress up so she could go even faster, her heart thudding painfully as she imagined that Jack was leaving because of her. Instead of giving him the chance to make up for the mistakes and forge their relationship anew, she had cast him aside and he was leaving forever because of it.

The docks seemed forever away. She heard her own bare feet slapping against the pavement, her breath coming in sharp gasps, a painful stitch in her sides as she dashed into the beach, her feet catching the sand and causing her to trip at least twice. She made it to the docks, so terribly frantic that she only knew that the boat was, in fact, still there at the docks. When she reached the dock, she caught her breath and looked up to suddenly realize that the ferry was pulling away from the dock.

She gasped and dashed down the dock as fast as she could. She could see Jack leaning on the railing of the ferry and when he spotted her, he rushed towards the back of the boat and cried out, "Popuri?"

"Jack! Don't leave me!" She cried, running after him, "I love you!" She reached her hand out and Jack leaned over the railing with his hand. Her fingers stretched, brushing his, grasping desperately.

Suddenly, Jack drew his hand back. Popuri was still reaching when she had to stop as she reached the end of the dock and skidded to a stop. Horrified, she stared towards Jack. The young man looked to Popuri with a profound sadness in his eyes and raised his hand in wave. She saw him mouth the words, _"I love you."_ And the ferry pulled out across Flowerbud river.

Popuri's panic rose. "JACK!" She screamed, "JACK! DON'T LEAVE ME! I LOVE YOU, JACK! I LOVE YOU!" But it was too late. Jack was gone.

And once again, Popuri was all alone.

She sank to her knees and once again she cried. She cried harder than she ever had before, burying her face, her chest heaving in great sobs. She fell onto her side, curled into a fetal position. She lost track of all time and all feeling until the next thing she knew was Ann kneeled next to her, scooping her up in her arms and hugging her tightly. Popuri took hold her friend and cried into her shoulder hard. Ann whispered to her, gently trying to speak comfort to her friend, but her words were no use to Popuri. The girl was lost in her grief.

And Jack was gone.


	37. Good-bye forever

Chapter 37: Good-bye forever

Popuri sank onto her bed and cried, anguished over Jack leaving and doing it so willingly. That last image of him waving to her, saying silently _"I love you."_ Couldn't escape her mind's eye. She relived that terrible moment at least a thousand times before she managed to bring herself under some kind of control. She lay bleary-eyed on her bed, an occasional hiccupping sob escaping her lips. She felt as if she had been in her room for hours, but when she caught glimpse of her clock, she saw that it had only been an hour.

There was no smells of cooking coming from downstairs. Wasn't her mother cooking something for supper? She left her room and wandered into the kitchen to see Rick and her mother, now more healthy than she had been in years, dressing quite formally for the night. Rick was putting on a suit-and-tie, brushing his hair neatly. Her mother was wearing the blue dress that she always wore when her father came home from traveling.

"Momma?" Popuri asked.

Lillia saw Popuri and fussed, "Popuri, you're supposed to be getting ready for the Moonlight Festival."

Popuri looked at the calendar. "The Moonlight Festival isn't tonight."

"They decided to have it early to commemorate the completion of the building in town. There's going to be a feast in Rose Square." Lillia said, "I told you days ago. Now go upstairs and get ready."

Popuri shook her head, "Momma, I don't feel like it. I'm going to stay home."

Lillia approached Popuri with a look the told Popuri there was no room for argument. "Popuri, we are going to this as a family and I will not hear of anything else. Now go up to your room, young lady, and put on your best dress. I don't care if Jack did leave, you're coming with us, understand?"

"Yes, Momma." Popuri said harshly, marching up to her room and hurrying into the dress. She put her hair down, brushing it just so she would look decent enough. When she heard her mother call for her downstairs, she came down and walked behind them. Going into Rose Square felt more like going towards her own execution. She couldn't possibly feel happy now, with Jack gone.

When they reached Rose Square, Popuri was awed as she viewed that the place had been turned into a large dance floor. Old-time music flowed out of an equally old-time record player. There were poles erected with flowers wrapped around them. Flowing from one pole to the other. A buffet table had been set up on the side, the smells wafting through the entire festival area. Between the four poles was the dancing couples of the village. On the side, near the table, was a few chairs...some occupied.

Popuri lowered her head. She couldn't bear the thought of being here without Jack. It hurt so much to even think about him. It hurt to even say the name Jack. But her mother had left no room for argument. She had to be here. She wandered around the dance floor, watching the couples dance their way into each other's hearts—even if they already had their hearts there. She couldn't bear to look at them.

She sat down, was sitting for many minutes, unable to bear looking up. A few minutes later, she looked aside as someone sat next to her. It was Karen. After that, Mary came with a cup of punch in her hands. Gray sat down lot long after that. They all looked to each other but said not a word. Words were meaningless. Their eyes said more than enough. Their very sitting together held their statures up in an age-old tradition passed on from one dance on one side of the world to another dance on another side of the world. Those who sat down, sat by themselves, sat because they had no one and those on their sides simply were not who they wanted.

After a while, Popuri began to sing softly to herself, a song Jack had played for her once, one she had liked despite its mournful tone.

She swallowed, unable to continue the song as her heavy heart simply became too much for her. She blinked away tears and let her chin fall to her chest. She sighed and said to herself, "Good-bye, Jack. I'll always love you."

Suddenly, a pair of arms came from over her head and ensnared her from behind, drawing her in a tight grasp. A familiar, sweet voice filled her ears. "Well, that's good, Poe. Because I'll always be here."

"JACK?" Popuri shot to her feet, breaking even his strong hold, and spun around.

And there he was. Jack Harris in all his glory. Standing there as if he'd never left, smiling at her while he wore a simple suit and tie, but his presence radiated before her. In the span of two second, Popuri had gone from devastated to angelic. Her eyes lit again, that lighthouse of love that sat just behind her eyes lighting again brighter than ever, her face turning into a mask of radiant beauty that positively beamed.

When the moment passed and Popuri realized that Jack really _was_ standing in front of her, she planted one foot on the chair and completely leaped into Jack's arms. He caught her and spun her around, both of them laughing deliriously as they embraced each other. When he set her down, running his fingers down her bangs so he could see her beautiful face in all its glory, he smiled. _This_ was what he'd been wanting for so long. And for a long, long moment—at the back of his mind—Jack and Ace stood side-by-side, both feeling the same love at the same time. At last, they had found their middle-ground, the world in which they both existed and thrived in and at the center of that minute universe was a stunning young girl with pink hair.

Her eyes glistening with tears—joyful ones—Popuri looked up at him and said, "I thought you'd left me forever."

Jack shook his head, "I couldn't do something like that. I just...went to go get something from the mainland. I was there to pick it up. I just got back, in fact. So what do you think of my party?"

"You set all this up?" Popuri asked.

Jack nodded, "Just for you. Just for _us_."

"Then why did you make me think you were leaving?" She asked.

Jack tried to keep a smile form his lips. "You didn't realize how much you loved me until I was gone, did you?"

She nodded.

"Well, now you know why I left. I knew you loved me, Poe. I just had to make you realize it above the pain you were feeling." Popuri leaned up, her lips eager to be kissed, but he held her back, whispering to her, "Time for all that later. I'm going to talk to a few folks, so you stay right here and when I get back...I promise I'm going to treat you to all the dancing you can stand. Okay?"

She smiled, starry-eyed, and nodded. Jack walked off and, true to her word, Popuri stayed right where she stood.

Jack immediately went to the dance floor, where he picked Duke and Mann out of a crowd. "Could you two come with me?" He led them to the side where Lillia stood. She watched Jack approached with Duke and Manna and nodded to them in greeting. Jack faced them. "I made some calls, you three. I know you say I did more than enough for Flowerbud already, but...something was still missing." Jack pointed.

The three of them looked in the direction he was pointing: the trail that led to the beach. Standing there were two people and when Lillia, Duke, and Manna saw who was standing there, all three of them let out a gasp.

Standing there was Lillia's husband, smiling ferociously at her. She cried his name and rushed forward. Wrapping herself in his arms like she hadn't done since they were young and before her illness had set in—an illness now so far at bay she could walk again, move again like never before.

Coming right behind her was Duke and Manna. The instant she had seen her husband, they saw the other person standing next to him. A lithe, feminine beauty—and make no mistake, beauty was the least of the words that could be used to describe her. She had a head of long, jet black hair that went well past her shoulders and shone like silk. She looked at the world through dark green eyes. She looked to be just between that ever remarkable threshold of teenagedom and adulthood.

Duke held his breath, but said her name aloud, "Aja."

And they were off with Lillia, running towards the two figures, crying their names. Aja looked at him with the same expression: relief. Not anger at her disappearance, nor fury, nor spite, nor hate...all of it vanished as both parent and child knew only one thing: the daughter had finally come home.

Jack smiled. Yes, a few phone calls to his father had brought Kevin Harris to Aja's doorstep, speaking with her from father-figure to lost little girl that going home would not—as she feared it would be—her own execution. Thus, here she was, being ensnared by her father and mother after more than five years of absence, lost amidst a fever of tears, hugs, and praises to God for her safe return.

Popuri's father, however, had been the focus of several hours of talking. He had explained to him the illness Lillia had contracted, the cures, and that the best thing for her was he return home, which he was only too glad to do. They also talked about Popuri...to great length.

Jack grabbed himself a punch and was immediately attacked by Kai, he stabbed at him with his fingers at Jack playfully. He smiled, "Great idea, Jack, having this celebration. Brilliant move, too, pretending you were leaving. She's fallin' all over you, Amigo."

"Yeah, I figured a little wile would go a long way. But listen..." He put his hand over Kai's shoulders and said, "I wanna see if I can make a little proposition to you. I think you and someone else in this crowd can make each other happy."

So Kai listened.

XxXxXxX

Just as he promised, Jack came back and brought Popuri into the dance floor. He took her hand and they twirled, dancing to the old music as if it were sung from the mouths of angels. As they twirled and held each other, Karen watched with a mixture of happiness—yet laced with jealousy. Not against Popuri, but against the love that Popuri now had. Why couldn't that happen to her? It didn't have to happen with Jack, just someone. Someone who could love her like that.

He suddenly had a hand extended towards her, a dark tanned hand connected to a handsome vagabond who was one of the world's premiere cruiserweight professional wrestlers. Kai smiled his almost trademark smile at Karen and said, "Care to dance with me, Kare?"

For a moment, Karen studied him, as if seeing Kai for the first time in her life. But she smiled and took his hand. Together, they moved out into the dance floor at the beginning of a slow song and danced at arms length. Kai watched her, "So, Kare...you been good these days?"

"I've been better."

"I hear tell you're tired of town. Ready to leave, is that it?" He asked, looking into the sky. "It's a bad place, the big, wide world. That it is. You wouldn't get far without some cash."

"I'll make my way." Karen said.

"You'd get stuck waiting tables in butthump, Nebraska and wish you'd never left in the first place." Kai said, "You need someone to go with." He twirled her around, "Let me ask you a question: have you ever wanted to see Paris."

Karen's eyes lit up, "Yes! Of course!"

"Or the lights of Tokyo on a warm summer night?"

Karen's eyes widened, "I'd give anything for that!"

She twirled back into his arms and he whispered to her, "The northern lights in the autumn of Alaska?"

Karen smiled a little, "I couldn't dream of anything better than that!"

He smiled with her, his face dipping close to hers, "The countryside of Europe?"

Karen's smile widened, "A dream come true."

"Sounds to me, Kare, like you've got a bit of wanderlust in your blood, eh?" When Karen nodded, he winked at her, "Me, too. I travel all over, you know? Every place I said, I been there. When I leave at the end of Summer, you wanna come with me, Kare?"

Karen's face went slack. "You mean it? You'd take me everywhere you go? You'd really do that, Kai?" He nodded, "Why would you do that?"

Kai looked at her, all seriousness in his voice, "Cause I know what it's like bein' stuck in a go-nowhere town when you wanna see the world. When I did it, it took me years before I could find a way to get around and still make money. You come with me, Kare, an' I'll show ya the world free o' charge. All on my ticket. Tokyo, Canada, South America, Bombay—"

"Oh Kai...I'd _love_ to see Bombay." Karen cooed, "But is that really why you'd take me?"

Kai pursed his lips and leaned close to her, close enough for Karen to see him in a new light, one that frightened and excited her. "I gotta admit, Kare...waking up each day to a face as lovely as yours...any man couldn't turn _that_ down."

Karen blushed and then, without even knowing why, she took Kai in a huge kiss full on his lips. When she parted, she looked just as surprised as Kai did. "What was _that_ for?" He asked.

Karen looked away. "Sorry. I got caught up in the idea of leaving and I just...lost my head."

Kai smiled, "Let me know if you want to lose it again."

"Get a room, you two." Jack said as he danced past them. Popuri giggled and Karen and Kai both blushed, remembering they were around other people. They continued to dance, but this time they danced just a little closer than before.

On the sides of the dancing couples, Mary watched with a sinking heart. Her eyes trained on the couples and on one individual in particular. She stood there, clutching her empty punch cup, trying not to tremble in longing. Her mother approached her and laid a hand on her shoulder, "Mary?"

Mary spun to her, "Mother, I know you've been angry with me before, but you have to let me go on with my life. I can't just sit here while the man I love is over there, away from me."

Anna looked where Mary was looking and suddenly came to realize what her daughter meant. She took Mary's face in her hands and said, "I wouldn't let the man I love get away from me either. Go, then. Go, Mary, and get him back."

Mary nodded and smiled, squeezing her mother's hand before rushing through the throng of people, gently making her way across the dance floor. Jack saw her coming towards him and felt a jolt of terror spread through his being. She was going to make a scene. Slap at Popuri and make a play for him, he just knew it. She reached them, dashed the final few feet and...

ran right past him and jumped into Rick's arms, taking him in a tight embrace. The poor boy looked confused for a moment, even when Mary took him in a deep, deep kiss. Jack and Popuri stood dancing, looking at them. "Wait a minute...Mary...you and...Rick? Wait, I'm confused." Jack said, waving his hands. "When did _this_ happen?"

Mary blushed. "Last year, at Summer's End. When I had drunk too much, Rick walked me home and...well, he kissed me at my doorstep. I was surprised, but not displeased. After that, Rick started seeing me at night—sneaking into my bedroom. We'd talk for hours...among other things." Her face went bright red when she said this. She very well remembered those "other things" she had spoken of—including the loss of her virginity. Now, though, at the end of all the sneaking and hiding, where she could finally love him in the open with the blessing of her parents, it had all been worth the clandestine meetings.

Jack turned to Rick, "You sly devil. Rick, I didn't know you had it in you."

Rick just looked down with an expression that said 'Aw shucks'. "I've never felt like this about anyone. I know me and Mary seem like a mismatch, but I can't help it. She's the greatest girl in the world. I'd do anything for her."

Jack then turned to Mary. "So when you said you were in love with two men...you didn't mean me and Ace, did you?"

Mary shook her head. "No, I could never love Ace. Maybe at some point, Jack, there could have been something between us but things have worked for the better and I think _someone_..." She looked skyward, pointing her finger in the air. "Someone wanted it this way. I'm not going to be cynical about it, I'm just happy. I stuck with you, Jack, because I wanted to help you. I knew you needed it and I was the only one who knew about it. I just wanted you to be well."

Jack smiled, "Then I owe my life to you, Mary. You healed my mind...and in return I was able to heal my heart. For that, I can never repay you." He took Mary's hand and kissed it.

Mary just blushed, swiping at her bangs. "Well...that publishing contract was a very nice way of saying 'thank you'."

Rick looked to her, "Publishing contract?"

Jack laughed, "That's right, lover-boy. You're going to be dating a certifiable novelist. I hope you like the sounds of typewriter keys."

Rick and Mary just laughed. Together, with all the other couples, the danced. The music played, the hearts filled, and for one glorious night, there wasn't a problem in the world for anyone in Flowerbud. The lost were forgotten, the tears all healed, the old lovers felt once again the inevitable draw that had brought them together, the young lovers reveled in what they had found, the fathers beamed with pride, the daughters danced under beauteous starlight, nary a soul felt a shadow of darkness in their hearts.

And in Heaven, the angels sang and rejoiced.

For all was well.

XxXxXxX

With express permission, Jack took Popuri back home with the promise that he was going to romance her with a dance of her own. As soon as the door was shut, she turned to him and launched herself into his arms. He held her, taking in every sweet second that she gave him. Any thought of the sins that Ace would have reveled in flew from his mind. Popuri was too pure, too innocent to ever have something like that touch her. Jack was glad she had struck him so well so many months before. Popuri told him this night was so perfect, she hoped it lasted forever. Jack was sure it _would_, because he still had one more hand to play.

Popuri turned around in a dance move and Jack held her from behind, his hand reaching into his pockets slyly. Popuri closed her eyes and sighed, "Jack, this night is absolutely perfect. I don't know what could make it even more perfect."

"I do." Jack said.

Suddenly, something brushed against her nose. Something fuzzy, something fluffy, something...feathery. Popuri opened her eyes and her vision was filled with a light, fluffy blue. She paused, taking it from Jack's hands and suddenly realized she was holding Flowerbud's vaunted Blue Feather in her hands. She turned to Jack, her mouth wide in wonder. "Jack?"

"I love you, Popuri." Jack said, "And it would be my honor if you would be my wife. I can't imagine anything I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you. You're everything to me. I think I always knew it...even when we were kids and we spent so much time together that one summer. I told you I'd be back and I did come back."

Popuri's eyes shined, her face smiling at him as he clasped her hands, the Blue Feather sticking out the top. "Oh Jack! I didn't think you remembered that." Without warning, Jack began to hum a song, a familiar song that Popuri knew all too well. One she had sung since a child. "Jack, our song! You remembered it!"

"It's called 'Valentine'." He said, "I remembered it. In fact, I owed a big part of my life to it. Even when I didn't know it anymore, I still had it in the back of my head. I used to dream of those summer days, that sweet girl who played with me. It was always us, Poe. It was always us."

"Jack...of course, I'll marry you!" She cried as she embraced him, "Nothing would make me happier."

"Poe, I know the Blue Feather is the Flowerbud standard, but I couldn't resist buying this for you." He reached into his jacket and produced a small black box. When he opened it, Popuri gasped in shock as she beheld a white gold ring with a rose fashioned from rubies in the center, the band and rose surrounded in small, precious diamonds. It undoubtedly had cost a fortune, but it was a fortune that Jack had spent willingly.

Jack closed the box. "You get this on the wedding day. I already asked your dad and he gave me the okay. According to everyone I know, we only get a one week engagement, is that right?"

Popuri nodded, "I'll start making arrangements tomorrow. Oh Jack! You've made me the happiest woman alive!"

"I hope so." Jack said, "Any more than this and I might have just given up." He was joking, but Popuri simply pulled him close and the two of them kissed deeply, long and lovingly. It was the single most satisfying moment of Jack's life. Ace had had his, standing at the top of the world with a gold championship and Jack had Popuri. Yet Jack's heart swelled as he kissed his bride-to-be, knowing full well that there was nothing in the world that could compare to being in love with Popuri.

He ran something through his mind, _"Popuri Harris...that sounds terrible."_


	38. A Pink Wedding

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: "A PINK WEDDING"**

A one week engagement. That was a little on the drastic side as far as Jack was concerned. One week left to indulge in the singles lifestyle. For what it was worth, Jack didn't want any indulging at all. Ace had done all the indulging in the world. From seventeen to twenty-six, he had without a doubt lived more than most people. He had given the world all he could and now it was time for him to collect a little bit of reward for his efforts. After tomorrow, he would be a married man and his minute universe would revolve around a single girl with pink hair.

The wedding was tomorrow. Tonight was supposed to be the night of the bachelor party. Jack had a tough choice in his best man, but length of time gave way to Kai, who happily accepted the title given to him. However, his perpetual smile faded when Jack told him he didn't want a bachelor party. Kai's brow had wrinkled. "Why?"

Jack just shook his head. "Better to not even take the chance. Besides, anything you have in mind…and trust me, I think I know the things you have in mind," A knowing smile passed between the two of them, "But the things I know you have in mind we couldn't get away with in most states and certainly not in this sleepy hollow."

"Yeah." Kai nodded, "Only one more day to go. Where would I find a midget, a stripper, and a roulette wheel this far south?"

"Cripes, man, what're you going to do to me? I'm _glad_ I'm not having one now." Jack choked on his sweet tea.

Preparation for the wedding was sparsely in Jack's hands. Sasha was normally the town tailor, but still being confined to a wheelchair after Hurricane Jack, she was unable to make the effort, so Lillia filled in for her and made not only all the dresses for the bridesmaids, but the tuxes as well. The dress, Rick told him, was already made. Popuri would be wearing the same dress that Lillia herself had worn and Jack was not to see it, or her, the entire week of the engagement.

Not that that bothered him a terrible amount. Sure, he was aching to see Popuri, but he was also busy helping Rick arrange the things for the marriage. The reception would be held in Rose Square and, of course, everyone was invited. It had only taken two days from his initial phone call to his father to get him and his mother back to Flowerbud where, of course, his mother was thankfully over her hysterics upon hearing that he was getting married.

"I knew you were hiding something from me. Where is she? I want to meet my daughter-in-law?" Jack just pointed her in the direction of the Poultry Farm and watched her go. He saw little of her the following week, no doubt spending time getting to know her future in-laws. Let her, he figured. She deserved it. These hysterics would be nothing, of course, to when she got grandchildren. Jack wasn't even going to try and pretend that wasn't going to happen. Of course, he couldn't imagine anyone he'd rather have father his children than her.

He was lucky. He still had his father and he himself would be one, but Barley had received news a few days after the beginning of the engagement that all the fears about his daughter Joanna had been right. The sum of those fears came in the form of a drug overdose that had ended her life. Barley had received the news with a mixture of sadness and all-too-knowing. He had known quite well what his daughter was involved in and that May's birth had been a result of those lifestyles. So now, at the end of his daughter's life, he shed not a tear. Jack felt sad for him. He knew there was nothing he could do now. The mother was gone, but not the daughter. Jack made a mental note to talk to Barley about whatever he could do to help the old man.

Thus it was, on the eve of the wedding, Jack had Kai and Cliff over and after a few rounds of Halo, they pulled all the 'Jack's matches' tapes off the shelf and after seeing they were arranged by date, began to pour through them. Instead of indulging in the single's lifestyle, Jack indulged, at long last, in watching his former life without the slightest twinge of regret or nostalgia, rather with awe and pride.

There was his early years for him to see. Jack would, later in his years, order all the DVDs that were about him or featured him, but these early matches were almost impossible to find—including his very first match against 'The Baron' Raymin Vilaar. A noble-born Frenchmen, he was undoubtedly one of the greatest wrestlers in the world. His scars eclipsed Jack's. His experiences eclipsed Jack's. His victories just as hard won as Jack's, but he never rose to the level of fame that Jack did and, in many ways, Jack felt the old Baron resented him for that.

The Baron had taught Jack by trial through fire, by beating the crap out of him, making him 'tougher than cured leather' as the old Baron had put it. Jack's first wrestling teacher had taught him a few holds and then moved away, taking every cent of the three thousand dollars Jack had spent. He remembered the days where he paid his dues: sleeping in a rusted old car, bleeding for dollars in bingo halls and sports arenas. Trips to Japan, England, Australia, Canada, honing his craft until he was, not long after his initial AWF debut, to become the greatest wrestler in the world. He beat the old Baron three times in a row defending his championship, so Jack's self-held title as the world's greatest wrestler was uncontested.

Except for Butch, but that was a tainted win. Jack had quit, had thrown the match and let Butch The Cleaver win. He had hoped that with that win, Butch would take all of the fame and fortune and spotlight away from Jack so that Jack could make his escape. That hadn't happened. Somehow, Butch hadn't done that and that confounded Jack. He had size, strength, talent, charisma. Jack had actually liked Butch like a brother when he had first arrived. The Cleaver always brought an acoustic guitar with him and strummed little home-made songs that he had crafted. The big country boy that Butch was, Jack was the only one who knew Butch had wanted to be a country music star, but he found out that he was better at wrestling than singing. That was shortly before they had started their feud.

Valentine's Last Stand, they called it, or so Kai had told him. The last feud of his career. Six months of his life dedicated to working Butch into such a frenzy that he saw nothing except taking Jack's title. That feud had taken a lot out of Jack because he had turned heel for it.

In the business, the heels were the bad guys, the villains, and the people you boo, who cheat and thieve to win. Because before they were bitter rivals, they were close friends. Jack had seen a lot of potential in Butch in his debut, so he took the country boy under his wing and made him his protégé, his tag team partner. Both were babyfaces, or faces, the good guys. They had torn up the tag team division as champs for a good three months before Jack knew it was time to put his plan into effect. He could see it now: a feud against Butch which would peak at Revolution for the title…and their careers. Jack—then Ace—had crafted a subtle, yet brilliant plan.

That plan began with his turn on Butch. It could, in truth, be the first match that Jack had thrown. He had gone down through a table thanks to their opponents and lay there on purpose while Butch was pinned. When their opponents had won and left the ring, Jack shocked the crowd by turning on Butch and beating him down. It was possibly the most shocking turn in wrestling history save for the formation of the N.W.O.

But unlike then, Jack hadn't gone heel entirely and a month of people booing him turned away as he began getting cheers again. He was a Heel who acted as a Face. He didn't cheat or lie or attack people. In fact, his turn on Butch was as fake as his infamous, yet short-lived, heel turn. Quite the opposite had happened. After Butch kept trying to get revenge, people booed him and Butch, by default, became the heel of the feud.

So they fought and fought and fought until Jack had landed himself in the Revolution main event. Butch had been set-up, he had taken the gold, he had beaten the immortal Ace Valentine, and held the title for over a year. So what had gone wrong?

Jack sighed, because he knew the answer. He knew exactly what had happened. Butch 'The Cleaver' Cliver was _not_ Ace Valentine…and the people wanted Ace Valentine. Well, they had him. For seven years, they had him and all that he could give, so there was nothing left to give and Jack refused to give them everything until his body was gone and he had nothing left for himself. This was why he left, to have something for himself. There was finally something Jack Harris could attain: happiness, contentment…love.

And Ace Valentine had it too, a gold than didn't glitter and a gem buried in the heart of girl.

Jack and Kai relived their glory days to Cliff, telling of the one glorious month when Jack and Kai, as tag team champs in an international promotion in Japan, had absolutely ruled the world. Jack admitted to Kai that he was his greatest rival, even though that was debatable: Kai, the Baron, Butch…all worthy opponents, but impossible to differentiate between them. Too different. Kai was a smashmouth high-flyer, Baron was simply tough, like a slab of living iron encased in flesh, and Butch had been a true brawler. He settled Kai's mind and told him _he_ was his greatest rival.

Little did he know the real truth. Jack's greatest rival—greatest enemy—had been himself.

The nostalgia settled in and they talked about the business, the days gone by. Kai gave them some tales of his last tour of duty that had been from last summer to now. The way he figured, he could last a long while recovering from his injuries during the summer. Jack agreed and wished Kai a long and successful career in the indies.

Cliff seemed to live in a moment of regret that he himself could never attain their level of excellence, but his lost dreams were little in the face of the orange haired girl who would, he promised the two of them, be his wife. Of that, he had no doubt and the two of them believed every word he said. It was almost evident from the start and Jack was happy that his friend had found a love so pure and felt that terrible moment of shame knowing he had seduced her.

Bygones and such, he thought. Forgiveness had been dealt and that was that, no sense being regretful now. As the night had gone by, he bid them farewell. Then he packed up all his tapes and stuffed them into a chest and took it to the back of the barn, where he buried it in the barn's storm cellar, never to be seen again. He bid farewell to Ace Valentine, who he would never need again and would never see again.

Looking into the night sky, he smiled. "You do good work, boss. Thanks. Sorry about that whole…'I'm bigger than you' thing a few months back.'." As he walked back towards his home, a summer breeze kicked up and his mailbox fell open. Inside was an envelope that hadn't been there that morning. He took it and opened it. It was from his secret admirer, the one who had sent him letters. Written in the same haphazard, glued-together letter writing was the last message,

"_Forgiveness is a blessing you have been given, Jack. I have more patience, more tolerance, and more understanding of your life than you ever will. You have, with My help, bested your true enemy: your own mind. You have given friendship, blessings, and love to those and healed wounds that would have taken scores of years to heal. There are others, still scarred, but time will heal them as well. So long as you and yours touches the earth of this farm, your family will always be blessed. Take My blessing tomorrow and know that all is well. Be warned, though. The enemy never sleeps and is always watching, waiting to pounce on those like a lion." _

"_There are plans within plans within plans that you, and others, will never know of. Let tomorrow end your conspiracy…and begin your legacy that will lead to redemption."_

Jack felt joyful tears fall from his face. He smiled and let the summer breeze take the note from his hands and fly off.

XxXxXxX

Some men, on the day of their wedding, feel cold feet, nervousness, and apprehension. Jack felt a sense of apprehension but it was more akin to 'Let's get this over with, I have things to do.' He couldn't rush this, he knew, but he wanted to savor it, let it linger as much as possible. This was really Popuri's day. She had waited for this day and it would be the most important day in her life and he wanted to make sure it went as spectacular as possible. If he so much as saw a gopher, he was going to snap loose.

There was a million things that had to be done and it seemed as if none of them would be done on time, but in the end all the pieces had fit like an old swiss watch and there was nothing to do except…well, get married. Jack took his place at the head of the procession, followed by his best man and Popuri's maid of honor, Kai and Ann. Then came Cliff and Karen, then Mary and Gray. They didn't want any more than that, really. Jack was beginning to feel the eyes watching him and felt a little nervous. What a laugh! _HIM_! Nervous under the gaze of less than a hundred people; a man who had shed off the stares of tens of thousands of people on a weekly basis.

Finally, the wedding march began to play and Jack held his breath. May came out ahead first, spreading rose pedals. Not that it mattered, because they were on the farm, having the wedding in the field. Jack watched as she prepared to emerge from the Inn. There was a surprise waiting for Popuri, one he would never, _ever_ have dreamed of before meeting her. But this surprise fit her and seemed to be the proper thing. He would _not _missthe expression on her face when she saw it. She had been led here with a blindfold over her eyes, into a tent just at the edge of the field where a windowless tent had been set up for her to sit in until it was time for the ceremony.

At last, at long, long last, she emerged wearing a white gown that looked simplistic, but it fit her so very well. It looked like a white version of her usual red-and-black dress. The veil was drawn over her face, but it was so transparent that Jack had no trouble seeing the expression on her face. She held a bouquet of white roses in her hands and strode forward, looking more beautiful than Jack had ever seen her. Her hair glistened and flowed behind her and even from the distance, Jack could see the way his mother and Lillia had used touched of makeup to accentuate her natural beauty. She was, in essence, everything a bride was supposed to be. She was blushing.

She stepped forward, her eyes looking at Rose Square, which lived up to its name. When she reached the edge she stopped, gasping. Breaking her stride—to say nothing of tradition—she pulled her veil up to see the Square better. What she had assumed as a rug, was not.

The entire village square, from end to end, was covered entirely in pink. The ground was not the pavement, but rather carefully placed pink roses.. Every inch was covered in pink roses. Popuri squealed in shock and very nearly collapsed. The procession was near her, but the entire Square…the _entire_ Square was covered in roses. Popuri didn't want to, but she stepped onto them so she could approach her groom. She pulled her veil back down and strode forward, passing the tearful faces of her loved ones in the seats, again all set into the roses, and stepped next to Jack. She looked up at him, smiling, trying to hold back tears. "Jack…what _is_ all this?"

Jack shrugged, "It seemed fitting. It's for you. A million pink roses for you to have your wedding on."

"Jack, how can you _afford_ this?"

Jack grinned, "I can afford anything I want, Poe. A million roses…that's just small potatoes. I hope you love it."

"You have no idea." She said. No more time for banter, they turned to Pastor Carter, who happily called an end to the music and spread out his arms. "Friends and loved ones, we are gathered here in the sight of God to wed this couple in holy matrimony."

"I have been told that the couple wishes to read their own vows, so at this time I will let them have their say."

Jack cleared his throat. He reached into his tux and pulled out a slip of paper, then looked into Popuri's eyes and tossed the paper away. "Popuri, before I came here I had everything a man could have. But when I came here, I found out that there was something missing in my life: love. Honest to God love. I could have taken any woman in the world…I'm not being cute, I really mean that. But you…you're a true woman. You hold yourself with honor and I can only hope that in the years to follow I prove to be as good a man and husband to you as you will be a wife to me."

He took her hands in his, "I promise to always love you and forsake any other woman. I vow that so long as there is breath in my body, no one will every harm you or our family to come. I take pride knowing that you have, in rebellion against our generation, upheld the standards of what a real woman is. You will always be fed, be taken care of, have a means for yourself, and I promise that will never change so long as I'm alive. I love you, Popuri and there's nothing in this world that can tear me away from you."

He paused and watched. Popuri was embarrassed because the tears she had held back had returned in force. Thankfully, she wasn't wearing any mascara, so it wouldn't run, but she still smudged off some of her makeup on her white gloves when she wiped her eyes. She pulled a slip of paper from under her glover—her vows—and followed suit by tossing it away. "Jack, I love you. I knew I loved you at one moment. That moment when we were dancing last year in the Harvest Festival. Somehow…I knew. I knew I'd always be in your arms, so…" She bit her lip, another joyful sob wrenching itself from her lips. "My God, Jack…I love you so much!" And that was all she could manage.

Jack turned to Ben and gave him a small nod. No sense in waiting for her to regain her composure. The pastor smiled. "The vows being said…Jack, do you take Popuri to be your wife?"

"I do."

"And Popuri, do you take Jack to be your husband?"

She nodded, sniffling, "I do."

"The ring?" Ben asked. Jack turned to Kai, who handed him the ruby rose ring that Jack had bought. Jack slipped the ring onto her gloved finger, whispering to her, "With this ring, I take thee as my wife."

Popuri put his ring on, but said nary a word for fear that she would burst into tears. Ben looked out at the congregation. "If there is any here who has just cause that this couple should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Jack suddenly turned on them, flashing a hard stare, a stare that Ace Valentine had used to put fear into many a men. Anyone who saw that face knew that anyone who spoke up then was welcoming a world of pain…so, of course, no one spoke. Of course, no one wanted to. There was no just cause among the gathered.

Ben nodded, "Then with the power invested in me by God Almighty, I declare you husband and wife." Ben turned to Jack and cried, "Well? Gone on and kiss her!"

Jack gladly lifted her veil and kissed for the first time his wife and best friend. Popuri felt rigid and frightened and for good reason. A week's worth of anticipation and nervousness were shedding off. Apparently all the emotions of having a wedding were all on her shoulders. He hugged her, wrapping his arms around her and giving her his strength and a good thing because as soon as they were two seconds into their kiss—on which they were being applauded—Popuri's knees gave out and she was standing solely on Jack's power.

He stood there for a few second, holding he up and felt he knew how angels felt: helping the weak when they couldn't stand. He felt the irony of the moment, because then he felt like an angel holding an angel. She regained a little of her strength and found her feet again and the crowd was none the wiser. She stood up and they turned to the crowd. Ben presented to them Jack and Popuri Harris.

Ben wrinkled his nose, _"Popuri Harris…that sounds terrible."_

XxXxXxX

It was the biggest celebration the town had ever known. There was no shortage of joy and no trace of sadness amongst the village. Of all Jack's relatives, only his mother and father were there. No, not just them. As Jack and Popuri danced, he caught a few glimpses of a gray haired man in overalls and a bread at the edge of the throng, a fleeting glimpse of the man and he was gone. Jack smiled, thinking out loud, _"Love ya, gramps."_

The party was also the longest in history. In mid-summer, the sun was shining, the air was hot, a cool breeze was blowing, but that dampened no spirits as people danced and sweated. The beer was pulled out and flowed well, with everyone enjoying themselves. There was no ill to happen with the exception of Kai nearly slinging Karen into the small corner of Rose Square that was still under construction. That one little corner that had the rebar sticking out into the air (they were waiting on the brick to be delivered and the guy they had hired was apparently an idiot).

Incidentally, the only other thing to note was Ann drinking so much that she jumped into the river because she couldn't make it to the closest bathroom. Speculation ran for years, everyone wondering if she had managed to make it there before her bladder burst, or if she had jumped in because she had peed on herself and was simply hiding her embarrassment. Ann took the truth to her grave; not even Cliff knew.

Jack was glad to see there wasn't a single soul on the chairs of date-less people except for two: Gray and Aja. The girl had been solemn and silent since she had returned, only speaking to Jack on the ferry. He supposed that she was mending her fences with her parents and with herself before going into the village proper. Jack had apologized for calling Gray names, but he felt terrible that there was nothing he could do for the young man aside from handing him cash.

While that was always nice, Jack knew of something more valuable than cash.

He approached Gray from behind and clasped him on the shoulders. "Hey, Gray. Enjoying the party?"

"Of course!" Gray said, "A real shindig. Why?"

"Because, there's someone here who isn't." Jack pointed and Gray followed his eyes to where Aja was sitting by herself in a stunning red dress. Jack was glad he had fallen in love with Popuri now, because if Aja had been in the village when he had come, Jack knew he would have fallen for her in an instant. There was no doubt who the most beautiful woman in the village was that day—even above the bride herself. But there was no one left to claim the seat next to her except for one."

Before Gray could even speak, Jack was in his ear. "Take her a rose, tell her it'd be an honor to ask for a dance. If she says no, try again. If she smiles, reel her in and try to be formal. Be friendly, but not eager. Eager will just drive her away. Be friendly, don't try and force a conversation, and above all else do _not_ try and be cool. You're not cool, Gray. Okay? You're a blue collar guy and as long as you don't try to be anyone besides a blue collar guy asking for a dance, you'll do fine. Don't try and be cool or smooth or witty, because you're not. And for God's sake, don't try wooing her with a song on your guitar—Conway Twitty, you are _not_."

Gray nodded, staring ahead at Aja. Jack slapped him on the shoulder and the boy got up and went across. Jack half-expected him to fall flat on his face, break his nose, and then remember what he was doing and ask Aja for a dance while he had blood gushing from his nose, but no…fate was smiling on all that day. Gray approached the stunning Aja and offered her the rose. Jack wished he could have heard the conversation. Aja shook her head, but accepted the rose. Jack expected Gray to stand there like an idiot, not sure of what to do but he said something and Aja smiled, then he said something else and she asked him something and he nodded and strummed his fingers through the air as if on a guitar.

Upon seeing this, Aja's eyes lit up. She said something and Jack heard Gray sing something and Aja laughed. She stood up, accepting Gray's hand. The young man walked hand-in-hand with Aja to the dance floor. As soon as Gray caught Jack's eyes, he shot him a dominant look and quickly, subtly gave Jack the finger while scratching his forehead. Jack knew what that meant: everything Jack had said would drive her away had apparently attracted him. _"Guess I was wrong."_ He said.

For shooting him the bird, Jack later put an egg down the back of Gray's shirt and smashed it while pretending to talk to him. Gray would later be sitting next to Aja in the field, talking to her, and the egg would draw an army of fire ants down his shirt that prompted him to run into the lake. (Incidentally, Aja followed him, thinking him being funny until the ants floating on the water attacked her too.)

The party wound down and people began to leave to their respective homes, either under their own power or on the arm of family. With the presents given (mostly homemade gifts) and the garter belt and bouquet thrown (Gray caught the garter when it bounced off Zack's flattop and fell into his hands, and Karen planted her heels into Elli's back to throw herself into the air and, amazingly, catch the bouquet in her teeth), it was finally time to go home. Jack carried Popuri into the farm, holding her in his arms. She stared lovingly at the field of roses, amazed that Jack loved her enough to do such a thing. But right now wasn't the time for talk or wonder. Although Jack had proposed a long, extended honeymoon, Popuri insisted that she simply wanted to have it all here.

She wanted to stay here. She wanted to be home. She wanted all her memories in one place. Silently, Jack took her inside as the sun fell down, into a home that was lit with candles, rose petals on the bed. As the candles flickered in the evening, dying later that night, Jack and Popuri finally knew the true joy they had held back from one another.

Jack had Karen to thank, in a way. She had pulled him aside and given him a 'dos' and 'don'ts' talk. He nodded, took notes, then handed her a few notes that he knew of. She took notes, compared, threw her notes away and made duplicates of his that she gave to the other women in town. Jack's notes became the stuff of legend.

XxXxXxX

When Jack woke up, he felt like Scrooge waking up to find it was still Christmas Day and everything was fixable. Only, this wasn't Christmas Day, it was the day after and everything was well. His arms caressed the tiny, naked form curled next to him. He pushed aside her disheveled hair and kissed Popuri's forehead. Popuri woke up, opened her eyes, and suddenly remembered that he was married now. She snuggled into Jack, hugging him tightly. He kissed her cheek, "Well?"

She stretched out, caressing his bare chest, "That was…worth the wait."

Jack chuckled to himself, feeling more content than he ever had in his life. Never before had the act of love been so fulfilling. Never before had he felt this way. Never before had he woken up the morning after and been glad to see the girl he had woken up with. Some married men feel a freezing cold knowing they'll wake up next to the same woman for the rest of their life, but Jack would never take another in her place. He loved her so completely, so entirely…if she died, he could never take another wife—that much was clear.

Their honeymoon lasted a few days. In truth, it lasted until they literally got tired of themselves and had to take a day to recuperate. The honeymoon was over and the marriage had to begin. Jack talked to Popuri during their day of rest. They got to know one another in ways they didn't know. Jack told her the truth: that he was a former professional wrestler named Ace Valentine and that he had enough money to do well with for the rest of their life. This awed Popuri, but her interest waned almost as soon as he told her. He offered her the chance to see his tapes, but she declined. The thought of big sweaty men in tights, wrestling with each other only amused her. Jack wondered if watching him fall from a height of twenty feet in that Rage in the Cage match would change her mind, but he thought better of it.

Best if she simply didn't want to know. If she didn't, he wouldn't force it.

The roses wilted within days and Jack burned them as he went back to work. Popuri proved to be a fine wife to him. She arranged the house to the way she wanted, decorated to suit her tastes, and made him lunch. That part he loved, since he hated making his own meals—even though he was good at it. She had his shower running at the end of the day, ready for him, joined him as well and Jack couldn't complain about that. His wife was lovely in his eyes. Now that they were married, the way they adored one another—physically and mentally—was only natural, holy even. Jack would catch Popuri staring at him with catlike eyes, sizing him up. To Jack, there was no body as lovely as his wife's and he couldn't imagine why he had chased after any other. One day, jokingly, he suggested that they just close the curtains and walk around naked. Popuri laughed it off, saying she was a lady and wouldn't do such a thing, but he saw how the very idea working in her mind and laughed to himself.

XxXxXxX

May was skipping home next to Pastor Carter as he walked her home. He paused at her doorstep, saying good-bye to her as she opened the door and went in. "Hi, Grandpa! What's for dinner?" She paused, seeing Jack and Popuri in the living room. Jack and Popur smiled at her. She smiled back, "Hi, Mr. Jack. Hi, Miss Popuri! You gonna eat with us?"

"Not really." Jack said. "Your grandpa has something he wants to talk to you about."

Barley, sitting in his chair, smiled at her, "Come here, May." She bounced over and sat on his knee. He patted her back. "Honey, you know about mommy, yes?"

"Mommy went away." May said, "You said she wasn't coming back again."

Barley nodded, "Yes, and you know I'm getting to be old, May. It's hard fer an old feller like me to take care of a youngin' like you. Yeah?"

May nodded, "I'm good, grandpa. I don't want to make you mad or hurt you. I'm good."

Barley smiled, "I know you are, but I don't think I can do as good fer you like a real mommy and daddy could. You'd like a mommy and daddy, right?"

May nodded viciously. "I'd love a mommy and daddy!"

"Well, kiddo." Jack said, "You got your chance. See, there's all this space on my farm and there's no crazy little girl running around on it." Jack approached and leaned down to her, "May, how would you like to come live on my farm with me and Popuri?"

May looked up at him, her expression wary, "Like a family?"

"A family." Jack said, "But there's _one_ thing you have to do and you can't come with us unless you do this, okay?" He held her attention before pointing to Popuri and then himself, "You can't call me Mr. Jack and you can't call her Miss Popuri. You have to call me daddy and you have to call her mommy. Is that okay?"

May looked at them and then smiled, "Yeah!" She leapt off Barley's knee and into Jack's arm. Popuri came over and embraced the two of them; May wrapped her arms around Jack and Popuri's necks. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried, "Grandpa! I got a mommy and daddy now! Mr. Jack's gonna be my daddy and Miss Popuri's gonna be my new mommy!"

Barley smiled, nodding to himself as he stood, "God bless you, Jack. For doing this fer my granddaughter…if there's ever anything I can do fer you youngin's, jest tell me."

Jack held up his hand. "No trouble at all, Barley. I'm only too happy. Come on, you young rascal." He said, ruffling her hair, "Let's go home. _Our_ home."

So they left, a family at last.

XxXxXxX

The remaining weeks of summer flew by. Jack had Gotz put a new room onto their house for May. The prospect of her own room and not a spot in a storeroom she shared with Barley's old junk had her excited. Popuri and May were mother and daughter before a week had passed, so strong was the bond. As the months grew on, Jack and May grew so close that May literally became Jack's shadow. One would never have known she was adopted, the resemblance was so strong.

Barley was grateful for the offer. Not that he didn't love May, but he was simply unable to help care for her like a small child needed. But Jack and Popuri were mother and father to that girl like any parents to any child in history. Jack adored her as if she were his own flesh and blood and May…May didn't know any different. As far as she was concerned, Jack and Popuri had always been her parents and had only just picked her up at a young age.

Jack taught May the farm. He taught her what he knew and more. He taught her all that he knew about life. Popuri, in turn, taught her how to be a little lady as only she knew how, but it soon became clear that May was Jack's daughter more than Popuri's. Jack saw in her a farmer. He could tell when he gave her an apple seed and let her plant it on her own. "It's your tree, May. You're like this seed: small now, but strong in time. Take care of it and it'll take care of you." He watched her plant it in front of the barn and care for it week after week, making sure no animal stepped on it or tried to eat the small sprout.

XxXxXxXxX

The summer did pass well, he thought. Summer's End came up before he knew it and there was a big celebration at the church-rather than the square-due to the fact that it was raining. It was a heavy storm that night. Popuri had been gone all day to help ready the church. May was with him, playing with her pretend farm toys on the floor. Jack watched outside, hoping the rain didn't take away her apple sprout.

He was ready to get in the shower when a sharp banging came at his door and a screaming voice followed, _"MR. JACK! MR. JACK! MR. JACK, OPEN UP!"_

Jack tossed the door open in a hurry and Stu ran in, clasping onto his leg, bawling violently. Jack shut the door and leaned down, trying to speak comfort to the boy. Something bad had happened, he just knew it. Someone had passed away or something, what else could get him so worked up besides that?

"Stu? Stu, what's wrong? Stu, talk to me." He shook the boy a little and noticed an envelope, dampened by the rain, in his small hands.

"Some….some men…they…hurt…and…they-they-they…said…give you..!" Stu stammered hard, handing the envelope to him. Jack took it and stood up. Inside was a crude paper folded up. On it was written a small poem:

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue,_

_One day your past,_

_Will catch up with you,_

Jack opened the paper and gasped.

Inside was an instant Polaroid picture. Someone—a big man, he could see—had Popuri, was holding her facing the camera. His face was cut off at the top of the picture, but his face didn't concern Jack. What caught him around his throat and strangled him was the image of the twelve inch dagger that the big man was holding against Popuri's throat, a small line of blood already trickling down her neck and tears streaming down her terrified face.

Jack pressed his teeth together in fury so hard he cracked one of his molars, his fist crushing the picture until his knuckles went white. He turned to Stu. "Where are they?"

"The-the church." Stu said.

Jack pointed to the bedroom. "Stu, May…I want both of you to go into my bedroom and lock the door. There's a cellphone on my dresser. Dial 911 and tell them to come to Flowerbud Island by helicopter. Can you do that, Stu?"

Stu nodded. He took May by the hand and they headed for the bedroom. "Don't be scared." Jack told them.

May looked at him before they closed the door. "I'm not scared, daddy."

Jack nodded. Just like him. He wasn't scared, he was furious. He hadn't told Stu why he wanted him to call the police to fly out. Not to help with an arrest, no. No, he wanted them out there to clean up the mess.

Jack dashed through the door and into the village towards the church, thinking the same thing over and over again:

"_Someone's going to die for this. Someone's going to die tonight."_


	39. The Valentine Redemption

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: "THE VALENTINE REDEMPTION"

"_Curse this storm."_ Jack thought, marching through the heavy rain, flinching every time a lightning blot flashed and thunder crashed. His mind reeled, his heart thudded violently in his chest. He couldn't take his mind's eye away from the image of that man holding the knife to Popuri's neck. His mouth curled into a vicious scowl. _"Someone is going to DIE for this!"_

It felt like eternity, but he finally reached the Church's doors and used one strong kick to force them open. They slammed open and he rushed inside. The lights were on, but he couldn't see anyone.

_BAM!_ Suddenly the doors closed behind him. Jack spun around to see a tall, slimy little man with greased black hair standing in front of the closed doors, throwing the lock shut. He had a pistol in his hands, a clip-fed semi-automatic _GUN_ and it was aimed right at Jack.

"Jim Black." Jack hissed.

Jim Black nodded, smiling like a cat about to eat the pet canary. "That's right, Valentine. We finally tracked you down, we did."

"We?"

"Turn around, Valentine." A voice said, "And don't make any sudden moves or Jim will blow your brains out."

Jack closed his eyes and ground his teeth together, "Chief." He spun and found himself facing Aaron St. Claire, standing there with the dagger in his hands, but in his hands it looked uncommon. Jack had no doubt the man didn't really know how to use it, but what else did he need to do besides stab him?

Jack put his hands out on his sides. "I'm unarmed. Where is she?"

Jim Black strode forward and without warning planted his foot as hard as he could into the back of Jack's left knee. A loud '_KRA-POP_' sounded and Jack cried in pain, falling to his knees.

"_We're_ in control of this situation, Valentine." Black said. "Don't forget that. We went through a lot of trouble to track you down and get you right where we want you. Balls to the wall between a rock and a hard place and now…you're going to do exactly as we say or else your pretty wife and all your friends are going to pay the price _for_ you!"

"_All my friends?"_ Jack thought, his heart freezing in his chest. Jim Black prodded him in the back with the gun. Jack picked himself up and limped out of the foyer and into the Church itself. Inside was the most shocking thing Jack had ever seen in his life.

The pews were moved to the side. Seated in them, bound hands behind them and at their feet, with gags in their mouths, was the whole of Mineral Town. Every citizen, every man and woman save May and Stu. _"Dear God, let the cops get here soon. This is worse than I thought."_

Suddenly, Jack heard the strumming of fingers over guitar strings. As the acoustic guitar began to strum out a haunting song.

Before he even saw his face, Jack knew who that voice belonged to. He remembered those nights in the locker room, hearing that same guitar and that same voice belonging to a big old country boy who had once wanted to be a country singer.

Jack finally saw him in the corner by the foyer, sitting in a stool with the guitar in his hands. Tied and gagged at his feet was Popuri, looking at Jack, pleading with him to do something, her sobs muffled through her gag. "You son of a bitch." Jack said, "I should have left you in the dirt where I found you, Cleaver."

Butch, calmly staring at Jack, put the cigarette that had been between his fingers back into his mouth and stared at Jack through the wisps of smoke that curled up before his eyes. "You call me that, you selfish bastard. You have the guts t' call me that after what you did t' me." His southern drawl was just as Jack remembered it. Butch put the guitar down and approached Jack slowly, sizing him up. "You look like pig shit, Ace…especially with that stupid _hat_!" He ripped the cap off Jack's head and tossed it aside.

Jack sneered, holding his hands out. "Well…what the hell do you want? You found me, okay? You found me."

"That's right, I did find you." Jim Black said, moving just into Jack's peripheral vision on his right side. He turned his head to the private investigator. "But you didn't make it easy and that little stunt you and your old man pulled on me with the kiddie porn pictures on my computer, emailing them to the mayor, that was _real_ cute. You know, if it wasn't for that and cold-cocking me last summer in the ditch, I'd have probably never wanted to see you again…but now that you've really _pissed me off!..._I decided to take a measure of payback on you!"

"Same goes for me!" Aaron St. Claire said, coming up on Jack's left side. "You ruined me, Ace! It only took a year for my business to going down the toilet no thanks to you!"

Jack snapped his head around to St. Claire. "No, _you_ ruined yourself! How many times did I tell you to stop hiring those worthless, no talent hosses, eh? But as soon as I'm gone, you go and hire a whole roster full of those idiots and look what happened! I don't know what kind of hard-on you get watching those super-heavyweight brutes fiddle-fart around with each other, but if you want to lay some blame on the failure of AWF, it's at _YOUR_ feet, not mine. I made Butch so when I was gone I didn't have to worry about someone tailing me or looking for me!"

Jack spun around to Jim Black. "And _YOU_ should have kept your nose out of my business, I don't care how much money he was paying you. Did it ever occur to you that I didn't _want_ to be found? That maybe working for _this_ jackass" He jerked his thumb towards St. Claire, "would have put me in a wheelchair! No, you can't understand that. The only person you listen to is the almighty dollar."

Jack whipped around to Butch. "And _You_! I gave you the world on a silver platter. I took you in, I made you what you are, and you have the stones to stand up here and tell me your own failures are _my_ fault. Kiss my ass, Butch!" Jack spat.

Butch looked towards him calmly, taking the cig out of his mouth and blowing a plume into the air. "So it's true, is it? You threw the match, just like they said you did? You let me win so you could…what? Come here and work in the dirt? Marry pinky here and have 2.5 kids, live the American dream?" His right index finger stabbed into Popuri's cheek. Jack noted it. That finger was going to _pay_.

Jack sneered, "You damn right I threw that match! I saved myself years of pain and suffering so I could live the rest of my life in peace."

"You turned like a coward and ran!" The Cleaver screamed. "And left _me_ with the pieces you left behind, but nobody wanted _me_ they wanted _YOU!_ And it eats at me every day, Ace! It eats at my fucking heart knowing that I carried your so-called legacy to its death. You gave me a tainted legacy to carry because _YOU QUIT!"_ Butch took hold of the guitar by its neck and swung it around at Jack, who ducked slightly and watched the guitar shattered into splinters against the wall as Butch let it fly from his hands.

Jack just sneered further, "You always were a loser, Butch. A kid who cries when he doesn't get his way. I'm surprised you even had the intelligence to find me."

"Oh, _we_ didn't." Jim Black said, _"I_ did. Me, all on my own. I suppose it'd be stupid to tell you now, but who cares? I had all but given up on finding you. I'll admit, Valentine…you did a hell of a job in hiding. The old man in your house the last time I was here was pretty clever. But it just so happened I was sitting at a bar one night when this stupid Vietnamese or Chinese clown with a yellow rain jacket on and a stupid rainbow hat on his head sits next to me."

Jack closed his eyes.

Won.

Jim Black had run into Won.

Jim smiled upon seeing this, "That's right, I ran into your little traveling salesman friend. I happened to show him a picture of you and he said he knew you. Said you lived down here in Flowerbud, running a farm. Imagine my surprise. I got St. Claire and we decided to bring The Cleaver along to, you know, to have a little muscle on our side."

"Then what do you want with them?" He asked, looking to his friends.

Jim Black strolled over to a nearby pew. "Oh, they're just a little insurance, to make sure you know we're serious about this. Pinky there was an incentive for you to come up here. Of course, after we're done with you, I have a little more revenge to dish out." He looked down to Ann, his finger trailing down her cheek as she glared at him angrily, her arms quivering as she struggled against the bonds with her arms, as if she could just break them with her own strength. "You still owe me a date, sweet-thing. I'll teach you a thing or two about manners."

Ann merely glared.

"So that what this is about?" Jack asked. "Revenge? If you guys want money, fine…I'll write you a check and you can leave me alone."

"This isn't about money, Ace." Butch said.

"My name is Jack."

"I don't care what you call yourself. You're not going to give us money, you're going to give us the satisfaction of knowing we repaid you the things you've done to us."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Butch reached down and pulled his t-shirt off, revealing his rippled muscles underneath, his wide girth of strength that Jack knew wasn't all for show. Butch popped his neck. "You still owe me that last match, Ace. Only this time, you don't have any choice but to lose, because if you fight back it'll be _her_ who takes your place." He looked to Popuri and smiled.

"You don't touch her." Jack said.

Butch tilted his head, then rushed forward and planted his right boot onto the side of Popuri's face, knocking her to the ground viciously. Butch had only to turn around in time to see Jack barreling down on him like a freight train. He speared Butch in the gut, nearly doubling him over as he shot forward, carrying Butch, and leapt up and crashed through the window and out into the storm.

St. Claire turned on Jim Black. "Why didn't you shoot him?!"

"Did you see how fast he was? I didn't even have time to pull the trigger!"

"Come on, let's go. I don't want Cleaver to have _all_ the fun." St. Claire and Jim Black ran for the door, leaving the church.

Sitting on her pew, Ann's face reddened with the struggle to break her bonds.

XxXxXxX

Outside in the rain, Butch and Jack were tumbling and tossing, each with one hand holding the other's hair and their fists wailing on their faces as if they had no concern for their own well-being. Jack snapped hard right at Butch face, but this wasn't like any wrestling match. This wasn't some entertainment spectacle. Butch, St. Claire, and Jim Black wanted to _hurt_, if not kill him.

But he couldn't let them hurt the others. He couldn't let them hurt Popuri. He didn't care about his life, he only cared about her and keeping her from harm. _"You see me now, Poe?"_ He thought strangely, _"This is all for you. I'd never let them harm you!"_

Thinking about that, he recalled Butch finger stabbing at Popuri's cheek. He let go and reached up to Butch's right hand, taking hold of the index finger. With a quick _SNAP!_ He shoved the finger sideways far past it's breaking point. Butch tossed his head back and screamed, "AAAAR-!"

_BAM!_...and Jack planted a right cross into the man's mouth that broke through the barrier of teeth and actually into the man's mouth. His top front teeth and the shards of what was left of them cut into Jack's hand as he pulled it free.

Butch fell to the ground, clutching his mouth and screaming. Jack turned onto his hands and knees and reared his leg back and drove it into the ground, popping it back into place painfully. He rolled on the ground, reeling in pain. It'd been too long. He had been out of the business too long. He'd forgotten what pain was. Where once it had almost been his friend, it was now his enemy and he cried…he hadn't cried because of pain since he had first started wrestling.

And then they were on him. St. Claire and Jim Black. They came from the side of the building and laid into him with sharp kicks to his body. He felt them against his head and could do nothing against them.

_BAM!_ A kick to his back, right in his kidneys.

_BAM! _A hell right at his temple, making his vision swim uneasily.

_CRACK_! The sound of a rib—maybe two—snapping like twigs.

His breathing became painful, difficult to do when he knew each breath was like a knife in his side. How had it come to this? Why had this happened? Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

Butch managed to overcome his own pain, but now he was furious. "Come here!" He cried, grabbing Jack by his neck and throttling him while he banged his head up and down on the ground. The world shook and quaked while Jack could only see the world as if he were looking through the bottom of a glass soda bottle.

Butch stood up and grabbed Jack by his shirt and dragged him across the church courtyard and into the graveyard, where he slung Jack across a tombstone. "Here's one for that tainted championship!" Butch cried, rushing forward and driving his fist as hard as he could into Jack's kidney. Jack cried out in pain, straightening up, but Butch grabbed his hair and said, "And _this_ one is for Mira. You broke her heart, you know." Butch took Jack's head and drove it as hard as he could into the tombstone. The polished marble cracked.

Butch lifted Jack's limp, empty-eyed head back up. He watched Jack' turned his gaze uneasily on him. "I took her in, Ace. I picked up the pieces of the heart you shattered. But you know what? It still wasn't enough. She just couldn't let go of _you!_ That's the second time I had to play second fiddle to you." _BAM!_ He drove his face down into the marble tombstone, cracking it further and leaving a smear of blood where Jack's face had struck.

XxXxXxX

Ann screamed through her nasal cavity, her face as red as a ripe beet, a vein on her forehead and neck threatening to simply explode on her. With a final, terrifyingly strong pull, her bonds snapped with a loud _POP!_. Chest heaving, She fell to her side, her numb fingers fumbling for the bonds at her feet.

XxXxXxX

_BAM!_ Jack's face hit the tombstone again. That one had been for…something. Jack couldn't hear anymore. He sobbed weakly. He couldn't handle it anymore. The pain was too great, too much to bear. Blood mingled with rain stung his eyes, oozing down from his forehead, his nose, his mouth. How badly was he hurt?

It wouldn't matter anymore, not before long. He saw their intent now. They didn't want him to just pay, they wanted his blood, they wanted his life. _"Haven't I already given them enough?"_ But he knew that the truly greedy were never satisfied with what they were given and they would squander what they _had_ been given. Jack was flipped over and Jim Black did his impersonation of a football kicker trying to drive a winning field goal from across the field right into Jack's crotch. Jack flew up from the impact and whimpered. It was all he could do with the strength he had.

He slid down the tombstone that was dotted with his blood. He glanced up idly and saw whose tombstone it was.

"_Jack Francis Harris"_

"_Beloved father and husband."_

Jack saw his own blood tricking down his grandfather's tombstone and felt a terrible despair. _"I'm going to lie next to him Poe...I'm so sorry I'm not strong enough."_ Darkness closed in on him, his eyes drifting slowly downward as his strength left him. But in approaching darkness, he could still hear.

And he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. _Thump…thump…thump_ And then…a distant bell.

_Bong!_

Jack's eyes widened once more, only able to manage the words, "Oh God…no…please, no…n…" And he slumped down, his strength spent.

XxXxXxX

Ann fumbled with Popuri's hand bonds, managing to get them loose, but no more. She growled in frustration. "I can't do it." She reached up when she heard Popuri mumbling and pulled her gag off.

Popuri leaned forward, took a breath of air and said, "Don't worry about me, you have to help Jack! They're going to kill him."

Ann narrowed her eyes and nodded. "No, they're not."

XxXxXxX

That cursed bell. Where was it even coming from?

_BONG_!

"No, this can't be happening to me!" Jack cried, more to himself than anyone else. "This can't be happening!"

_"Ja-a-ack." _Cried a distant, hoarse voice.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Jack screamed.

_Thump…thump…thump…thump._

"Jack."

Jack spun around and there he was, glowering at him like an angered fallen angel. Jack rushed forward, grabbing him by his collar, but his strength wasn't there. It never had been there when he faced Ace. "What? Are you happy now, Ace! You see what your life has done to me?! They're going to kill us and then they're going to kill Popuri…or rape her…or both…and there's NOTHING we can do now! I can't fight them! Not all of them, not at all! I'm not Ace Valentine, I'm just Jack! I can't….I…" His voice grew softer as he looked into Ace's impervious eyes. "I can't do it…"

Ace finished his sentence, "You can't do it without me."

Jack's face screwed in frustration, in dire terror when suddenly Ace put his hand on Jack's shoulder and hissed, "She's _my_ wife, too!"

Jack's eyes widened in understand. "What're you going to do?"

Ace looked up to the sky and Jack felt the world beginning to rush back to him as Ace said, "Unleash hell."

And suddenly, as if he were simply restarting a movie from an unknown start, Jack was lucid again and his pain was melted away, feeding the furnace of fury that dwelled within the pit of Jack's stomach. A fiery pit, an endless well of strength named Ace Valentine. He narrowed his eyes at Butch, who was ranting and raving in front of him, holding the dagger.

"—about time you were put in your place!"Butch finished off his rant by lifting the dagger up and rushing forward, aiming the stainless steel blade right for Jack's heart. Jack nudged to the side and the dagger sank into the flesh of his shoulder, but he said nothing. Butch looked up in surprise at the hard glare in Jack's eyes. He knew those eyes, those cursed eyes!

Those were _Ace's_ eyes!

Ace growled, "You're _fucked_ now!" And he drove his fist into Butch jaw again, driving the big man back. He calmly plucked the dagger out of his shoulder and stabbed it into the tombstone breaking the blade and tossing it aside in disgust.

"Shoot him!" St. Claire said. Jim Black went down and fumbled for the forgotten gun when suddenly a female shriek came from out of nowhere and plowed into Jim Black and St. Claire. Jack looked down at Ann, who was straddling Jim Black and peppering him fists of fury, fists that he would never have wanted to be on the receiving end of. "GO!" She screamed. "GET THEM!"

Jack wasted no time in laying his size thirteen boot into Butch's hide, stomping on his face and body. St. Claire rolled up to his feet and put his hands around Ann's throat, strangling her. Ann choked, trying to wrench his hands away. His hands did fall away and when she turned, she saw Jack behind St. Claire, his arms looped around the man's waist and pulling him backwards in a German Suplex. But St. Claire never made it to the ground. Instead, she heard the sickening _THUNK_ of his body connecting with the spear-like tips of the iron-wrought fence around the graveyard.

St. Claire gasped, a splash of warm blood coming up with his last breath. He looked down to see three spikes jutting from his chest and then collapsed. Jack struggled to his feet and looked up at the clearly dead St. Claire. "So long, Chief." Ace hissed.

_BAM!_ And then Butch was on his feet and laying into Jack again. The two of them tumbled out of the graveyard, laying fists into each other as before.

Ann had her head turned for just a second and Jim Black took that chance to grab her and throw her onto the ground. Ann kicked and fought, but the man was heavier than her and he was grasping her clothes, ripping them open, spitting as he raved like a madman. "I'll show you, you little bitch! I'll make you like it, you hear me?! I'll show you…you ain't nothing, you hear? And when I'm through with you, I'll do the same to your pink haired friend back in the church while I make Valentine watch!

Ann felt no shame at that moment and knew that her submission to him was his weakness. She let him rip her shirt and bra off and had her arms pinned with his. As soon as his eyes were not on her face, she thrust her head up and grabbed his scalp—and she didn't know exactly how she did it—and pulled him forward with her teeth. Screaming, Jim Black went forward, trying to get her to let go of his head.

Ann fumbled with her feet and got them out from between his legs and let his scalp go at the same instant she shoved him forward with her legs. Jim Black flew backwards and struck the stone statue of an angel. Stunned, but not heavily so, Ann knew she only had an instant to work. She was shirtless, but striving for modesty would get her killed. She only had one chance at this.

She rushed forward and planted a knee into his gut. She then took his right arm and with all her might, she shoved it against the tombstone and snapped it with a loud _CRACK!_ Jim screamed,

and the screamed again as Ann took his left arm and did the same thing.

Doubled over, she grabbed him and brought him towards the water-filled ditch that was in the front of the graveyard. She tossed him in and followed him, straddling him from behind and grabbing his slick, oily hair with her hands. With a shove, she forced his head under the water.

Jim immediately began sputtering and flailing, but his broken arms were useless. He lifted his head up, drawing in a deep breath before Ann shoved him back down, beating his head up and down on the rocky ground, grinding her teeth in anger. She could hear Jack and Butch fighting behind her, fists landing heavily on their muscled bodies.

Jim pushed himself up with his elbows and turned his head, gasping for air. "You gonna kill me, little bitch?" He sneered, trying to sound above her, stronger than her, "You know what, you ain't got the guts to kill me!"

Ann smiled in spite of the situation. She pulled his head back and leaned in his ear, "That's funny. That's _exactly_ what my mom said."

Jim Black swallowed in fear and Ann thrust his head back under the water, surrounding his head as he sputtered and this time she didn't let him come back up. She sat there for a minute…maybe two. At the end, his body went weak, his flailing subdued suddenly, and Jim Black's air bubbles ceased coming up from the water. She held him there, then lifted his head slowly to be sure. He stared ahead with an empty eyed expression of shock. Ann let him fall back into the water and rolled to this side, chest heaving for air.

She shuddered. It was only the second time she had killed someone, but as with the first, it had felt so _good_. She shook the feeling off. OF course, she had hated both of them. She recovered her shirt and put it back on, now having the time to deal with her modesty and looked up to try and find Jack and Butch. She could see one of them and with a gasp she realized it was Jack, lying on the sidewalk. Where was…

There was no sudden hit, but Ann suddenly found herself behind pulled from behind. Butch grabbed her by her shirt and then thrust her as head first into the nearby tombstone. He grabbed her by her head and slammed her into it again, and again, and again, until Ann sank to the ground and didn't move, blood pouring down her face.

Butch sneered in satisfaction and spat on her, the rain washing it away almost as soon as it landed on her. He turned back to Jack, who had gotten to his knees and was crawling away through the brush and into Rose Square. "Where're you running to, Ace?!" Butch cried, "You afraid o' me?!"

XxXxXxX

Popuri put her feet on her bonds and began to push at them, her tiny hands slipping slowly through the holes.

XxXxXxX

Butch followed, going through the brush cautiously. "I know yer out there, Ace! I can smell yer fear! You know I ain't leavin' till I've had done with you! Where you at?" He cleared the brush and went into Rose Square, stepping over the broken brick and protruding rebar. He heard the sound of footfalls and turned around.

_KA-KRACK!_ Jack drove the two-by-four over Butch's head so hard, the wooden plank snapped in two. Jack grinned, thankful to have a small construction site so near there and such a fortunate weapon of happenstance. He threw the broken half away and grabbed Butch by his ponytail, driving the man's already mangled face into his knees, shattering his nose, then hitting him again and again and again, his nose sounding like a mushed apple striking a brick wall over and over again.

"All I wanted was a little peace!" Jack cried, smashing Butch over the back with his fists, into Butch's kidneys. He screamed over Butch's cries of agony, _"IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK THAT I NOT DIE IN THE RING, SURROUNDED BY BLOODTHIRSTY FANS WHO ONLY WANT TO SEE ME DIE! I'LL DIE ONE DAY, BUTCH…BUT YOU WON'T BE THE ONE TO DO IT, BY GOD!"_

Jack lifted his arm to throw another hard deck into Butch's other kidney when the big man, doubled over in front of Jack, rushed forward and lifted Jack, tossing him behind him. Jack twisted in the air, but instead of feeling the familiar brick beneath his body, his entire being erupted into white hot flame piercing his every though and for the first time in years, Ace Valentine screamed in pain.

"AAAAAAAAGH!"

Jack didn't want too, but he opened his eyes, shocked to see the truth. There, jutting two feet out of his right shoulder, was the sharpened rebar. Jack coughed and his side and thigh hurt. He looked down. Another rebar was jutting from his right abdomen and another yet was sticking out of his left thigh. He was impaled on the rebar, it's edges so sharp it was like being skewered on spears. He could feel them grating against bone and moving only a fraction told him that there was no way he could stand the pain of pulling himself off the two feet of rebar.

He was stuck and he'd die if he didn't get off.

He heard the sound of metal scraping against brick and saw a mangled Butch Cliver lifting a spare piece of rebar in the air. It's edge was also sharpened like a skewer. Jack's eyes widened. "Oh my God."

Butch raised the heavy iron rod above his head and smashed Jack across the chest with it, driving him further onto the spiked rebar. "AAAAAAGH!" Jack screamed, and was silenced as Butch swung the rebar across his face, shattering his cheekbone in five places. He swung it again on Jack's left arm and snapped the bone there as well. Jack cried out, seeing that cursed rebar ready to fall on his neck.

"NOO!" A shrill female voice cried and Popuri dove out of the brush and threw all her weight against Allan, but the big man was simply too much a match for her and he was knocked aside only by a single step. _"I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM, YOU BIG BULLY! GO AWAY AND LEAVE US ALONE!"_ Popuri screamed as she beat her thin arms against his side.

Butch dropped the rebar and laughed at Popuri's pitiful offense. "I can see he didn't teach you anything at all, pinky." Butch reared back and slapped Popuri, knocking her to the ground.

Popuri cried, feeling her already bruised cheek. She looked up at Jack in horror, seeing him broken, impaled on the rebar. She rushed forward on her hands and knees and took Jack's one hand in both her tiny hands. "Oh Jack! Jack, you're gonna be okay. Jack, I love you!"

Jack grimaced against the pain. "I love you too. Poe, run. Get away from him, he's dangerous."

Popuri's face contorted, struggling against his orders, "I won't leave you, Jack. I won't leave you."

Jack used his free hand to grab her by the collar and hissed through his broken teeth, "_RUN, DAMN YOU!_"

"Jack—AAGH!" Popuri was yanked away from him before she could even think about running. Butch had her by her soppy wet hair, grinning through his shattered teeth. "Nice piece you found yourself, Jack. I'm gonna like watching her squirm underneath me."

"Don't you touch her, you motherfucker!" Jack cried, "I'll fucking kill you if you lay one more hand on her!" He cried, but it was an empty threat. He couldn't possibly do anything while he was impaled on the spikes.

Butch smiled faded for a second, "You know what…As much fun as hate-fucking your wife in front of your eyes would be…I think I'll take the consolation prize." Butch lifted Popuri up and turned her around, his arms wrapping around her legs as he held her parallel to his body.

Jack gasped. He knew what Butch had in mind. He mean to use his personal finisher on her: The Irondriver, a modified Cradle Piledriver. Popuri would land on her head with all the force and weight that Butch could command. Jack had been on the receiving end of that and nearly been taken out—and he was a full grown man landing on a wrestling canvas.

But _this_…Popuri was half his size and her head would land on brick. It would _kill_ her! "BUTCH, NO!" Jack screamed, "I'M BEGGING YOU, NO!"

Butch just grinned and leapt into the air, tucking Popuri's head between his legs as he soared towards the ground.

"_NOOOOOO!"_

_THRACK!_ Popuri's head bounced off the pavement with a sound like a_ 'THUNK' _and _KRACK_! Her body limply folded like an accordion and Butch pushed her aside. Jack gasped in horror as Popuri's eyes stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly open, blood trickling from the corner of it. She didn't move that he could see.

"_GODDAMN YOU, BUTCH!"_ Jack screamed.

Butch stood up, cheat heaving painfully. He held his side as he picked up the rebar again. "How's it feel, Ace? How's it feel to have something you love destroyed before your eyes? That's exactly how I felt when I learned you had thrown that last match. I just wish I could go back in time and put my book on your throat and choke you to death for the title."

Jack's breathing was becoming more shallow. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out. "Butch…I swear…I'll break down the gates of hell just to get at you."

"They say vengeance is the Lord's, Ace." Butch smiled, stalking forward. "You're not God, now are you? Don't ask God for help, Ace. He's not going to help anyone. God decided to sit this one out, didn't he? Where is God right now?"

Jack could say nothing.

"Like I said," Butch lifted the rebar up above his head, point aiming down, ready to pierce his heart, "This is one match you have to lose."

It was ironic that Butch had mentioned God, because it was at this moment that God showed up.

Butch stood over Jack, raising the bar as far above his head as he could to drive it into Jack's heart when suddenly there was an unexplainable lack of noise. Jack flinched, his eyes shutting hard. Butch's eyes widened, his mind having only enough time to realize that holding a metal rod in a thunderstorm was unbelievably _stupid_.

Then the sword of Heaven came crashing down on Rose Square.

_KA-THOOOOM!_

The lightning bolt hit Butch with the swift suddenness only it could summon. Jack's eyes, thankfully closed, saw the brilliant, amazing flash of light through his eyelids and he was still nearly blinded and deafened. The roaring crash of thunder broke through his ears, leaving only a dull ringing in them.

The explosion tossed Butch backwards. He landed on the pavement with no expression in his dead eyes because they had been fried to a crisp. His arms and legs were blackened, his fingers and toes exploded and smoking. His body twitched viciously, but there was no life in them beyond that.

Butch "The Cleaver" Cliver was dead.

All the damage, the pain, the injuries came rushing in on Jack at once and he was lost in a world of pain and suffering. His head lolled painfully to the side as his strength began to fade again. His gaze turned sideways, he could see his beloved wife still lying prone on her side, her empty eyes staring at him down the length of her fallen arm, as if she were reaching for him.

Jack struggled, but he was still impaled. His hand grasping for hers, but she was too far away. His hand fell and with the last of his strength as darkness closed in on him, he looked to his wife and said, "I love you, Popuri…I'm so sorry."

THE END?


	40. Absolution

**CHAPER FORTY: Absolution**

_Jack_.

That was her voice. He knew it and knew it well. It was very, very, very distant, but he could make it out all the same. They were talking, even though he couldn't see her or even himself for that matter.

_Yeah, Poe?_

_Jack…I wanna go home._

_Me, too._

_Let's go home, Jack._

_Sure thing, Poe_

A fluttering of eyes, Jack awoke to a very mellowed feeling. He felt very well rested, as if he had slept for ages and took a deep, long breath that felt good in his lungs. He shifted himself, not really excepting anything or anyone, but just sitting and relaxing, taking his time in collecting his thoughts.

But the more he remembered, the more he felt and anxious to simply not be doing what he was doing. Like a demented version of a kid waking up and realizing it's Christmas morning, Jack recalled very vividly what had transpired only moments before. It had to have been moments, there was no feeling of time passing. He felt like he was waking up from a short nap.

He sat up and realized where he was. He was in the clinic, in a hospital bed and a robe. The lights were dimmed, as if at night. He couldn't see beyond the curtains. He took a deep breath. Why did such deep breaths feel good? He lifted his left arm to lift the sheet and suddenly saw an unsightly scar on his arm. Not one of his wrestling ones, but a pair of surgical scars on his fore arm. He looked at it, recalling having been struck in the arm by Butch.

The spikes!

He remembered them now and tore open his robe. What he saw bore a stark witness to just how much time must have passed. There, on his shoulder, abdomen, and thigh, was the scars for the puncture wounds he had received. Obviously, they hadn't killed him, but…theses scars were well healed. They were nowhere near what they should have been for such a short passage of time.

Jack swallowed. "How long have been out?" He asked out loud, to no one in particular.

"Jack?" Another voice from not far away answered. A pair of feet pounded the floor until the Doctor burst through the curtain, sporting a mustache and goatee that hadn't been there before. His eyes wide, sparkling happily when he saw Jack sitting up. He rushed forward and took Jack in a comforting bearhug. "Bless you, you're awake!"

"Sure, sure, Doc." Jack said. "Hey…I hate to bother you, but…can I get some water?"

"Of course, I'll be right back." The Doc returned a minute later with a cup in his hand. Jack guzzled the water down, refreshed. "Jeez, I'm hungry."

"We'll have to put you on a light diet to get you used to solid foods again." Doc said, "Elli will be so happy to hear you're awake. She's been by your side diligently. I wonder if perhaps I should wake her up."

"Doc, don't go running to Ellen's house, waking all those people up for me." Jack said.

Doc made a small noise, "Ah, well, that's no problem at all. Elli's upstairs in our room."

Jack tossed him a confused look and only then did he spy the gold band on Doc's ring finger. He lifted an eyebrow. "When did _that_ happen?"

"Not too long ago." Doc said, embarrassed. "It's nothing, really. But above all, I'm glad you're awake, Jack. You went through went through quite an ordeal. You're lucky…no, that's the wrong word. The only explanation I have for your being alive in face of the injuries you sustained is that it was an absolute miracle. Moving you off that rebar was touch and taking them out, not to mention your broken bones…Jack, you're a miracle."

Jack shrugged, "I'm lucky that way. How long have I been here?"

Doc didn't answer at first. He stood up and went to the curtain and jerked it aside, Jack seeing immediately what he was trying to tell him.

It was snowing outside.

It was…snowing.

Snowing?

"What…Doc…how long?" Jack asked. "What day is it?"

"Jack, it's December. Christmas Eve, to be precise. You've…you've been in a coma ever since the end of summer."

Jack reeled back, falling back onto the bed, his hand holding his head. The time between December and the end of summer was five months at least. He looked down at himself and that all made sense. His wounds were healed over and Doc had undoubtedly done surgery on him while he was in a coma. He had forgone all the pain and whatnot and was waking up fully healed. Not all was as well, though. One look at himself told Jack that he had lost a lot of muscle mass. In fact, he almost look liked a walking stick.

"Doc, how much weight have I lost?"

"You weight one hundred and seventy pounds, Jack. You've a lot of weight, most of it muscle. As soon as you're able, I want to put you on a physical rehab regimen to get your muscle mass back up to speed."

Jack's eyes suddenly snapped wide. "Poe! Doc, where's Popuri?!"

Doc averted his eyes, not meeting Jack in his stare. Jack furrowed his brow and grabbed Doc by his collar, pulling him forward. "Doc, Poe's alive, right?"

"Jack…it's a little complicated."

"Yes or no. It doesn't get much less complicated than that! Is my wife alive or not!"

"Technically, yes. Yes, she _is_ alive." Doc said.

Jack let him go and sighed. "Wait. What do you mean 'technically'?"

"First of all, can you tell me how she injured her head?" Doc asked.

"That…well, Butch put her in this move called the Irondriver—well, it's a modified…never mind, he dropped her on the pavement with all his weight on top of her. He said, trying to search for words to convince Doc. "Is she alright?"

"She almost died, Jack. She's just as much a miracle as you are. She struck the pavement with such force that it caused swelling in her brain. Under normal circumstances, that could have killed her, however because of the force of the blow, it also split her head like a coconut. Forgive the analogy, but it's the best thing I know to say." He ran his finger from the back of his head to the front, "All through here, her skull split and that's what saved her life."

"Her skull being busted open saved her life?" Jack asked. "I find that hard to believe."

"Believe it, because when her brain swelled from the impact, her skull gave way to it. If the skull had remained intact, the swelling would have killed her because the skull does not have any give to it at the adult stage of life. But her skull was able to swell out along with her brain. Now this is on a very minute scale, mind you, but enough to make all the difference. It saved her life."

Jack sighed in relief. "So where is she?"

"In the bed next to you." Doc pointed, but Jack was already jumping to his feet. "Wait, Jack, there's something else."

But Jack wouldn't hear it beforehand and he didn't hear that he wasn't supposed to be able to walk. Indeed, it felt strange because his limbs weren't obeying his brain's commands. However, knowing that his wife was just as sick as he was flung him over an edge he could hardly fathom and his feet forced themselves in front of each other until he stood before the curtain and ripped it aside.

Jack felt his heart stop in his chest. There she lie, calm and asleep, but not beautiful and angelic. He hair was short, approximately ear length, no doubt some surgery to her head. (And seeing that, Jack realized his own hair was stretching past his ears) She was pale, almost translucent. Jack felt if he could have held her up to a light, he could have seen through her. She breathed so shallow that it looked as if she weren't breathing at all. Her face was so calm, it seemed…

In Jack's eyes, she looked as if she were already dead.

He stumbled forward and pulled up a chair next to her and took her hand. "Poe. Hey, Poe. Baby, wake up, it's me."

Doc put his hand on Jack's shoulder, "Jack…Popuri's in a coma. A very deep one."

"Okay." Jack said, "So let's get her out of it."

"Jack, you can't bring someone out of a coma."

"Will she wake up soon?"

Doc sighed mournfully. "Jack, there's no telling when or if she'll ever wake up. As deep in as she is…there's no telling if she ever _will_ wake up, understand? We thought the same of you."

"Yes, but I woke up and so will she." Jack said. He stood up and listened to her heart. It was shallow, very shallow. Her breathing was just as shallow. She didn't look any thinner though. In fact, she looked heavier. "Doc, why does she look so much bigger? I mean, I lost weight, how come she hasn't?"

Doc reached over and pulled Popuri's blanket. Where her slim tummy had once been was a rotund shape that wasn't from over-nourishment.

"She's pregnant." Jack whispered.

"Yes, for approximately six months, we estimate." Doc said. "Don't worry, the baby is fine. A perfectly healthy baby girl."

"Darn you, Doc." Jack said, a trace of a smile coming to his lips. "I wanted to be surprised. He looked to Doc, who only shrugged in apology.

Jack leaned back in the chair, sighing. "What happened after I blacked out? What happened at the end of summer?"

Doc seemed to think for a moment. "Well, after the lightning bolt struck, and we all heard it very keenly, Ann came wandering in not long after and began to untie us. Me and Duke and Doug all rushed out to find the carnage that had ensued. Ann was suffering from a severe concussion and you and Popuri looked like hell on earth."

"What about the other three guys?"

"All dead. Mr. St. Claire was impaled on the fence lining the courtyard. Mr. Black apparently drowned after falling into the ditch and somehow having both his arms broken, and Mr. Cliver was struck by lightning. He was quite dead. The police arrived shortly thereafter and we informed them of what happened. They took some statements and took their bodies away, but I already had you and Popuri in the Clinic. Luckily, those other three doctors were in town to check up on Lillia. I got them from the clinic and they helped with the surgeries. I managed to...gloss over your name to the police." Doc said, "As I knew you'd want from me."

Jack sighed, shaking his head. "Thanks, I appreciate it. They came after _me_, Doc. I was the reason they came here and took all of you hostage. I feel so guilty."

"Don't, Jack. It won't do you any good. None of us blames you for what happened, I want you to know that. This town owes you a debt we can never repay. You picked us up when we were down and brought us back from ruin. You've mended more than our homes…you mended our hearts. Seeing how happy you and Popuri were together inspired me. Jack, you changed my life. I don't know if I'd have ever had the courage to ask Elli into my life without you."

Jack nodded, "Glad to be of help." He stood to his feet, feeling an unknown strength in his limbs. "No unhook her from the machine."

"I need those to monitor her vitals." Doc said. "Why do you want me to unhook them?"

Jack looked into Doc's eyes mournfully. "Can't you tell? She wants to go home. That's precisely where I intend to go and she's coming with me, whether you like it or not so you've got two choices: I can knock you out and take her or you can help me get her home."

Doc's jaw twitched as he considered trying to slip Jack a sedative, but he decided against it. Even after being comatose for half the year, Jack was more than a match for him. Doc didn't know if that was something he should feel sorry for concerning his own strength or to admire Jack for such tenacity.

"Let me get you a wheelchair."

XxXxXxX

Going home was quiet and solemn. Popuri had to be propped up in the chair and she was covered with a blanket to keep the snow off. It was a white Christmas. The snow fell gently, covered everything in a beautiful white sheen. It was nearing midnight by the time he got home and heard the distant bell coming from the Church.

Jack opened the door and wheeled Popuri inside. He lit the lamp on the side of his bed and shivered. It was cold inside. But why shouldn't it be? No one had lived here for months. Jack fired up the heating, then went to the dresser. He found one of Popuri's silk nighgowns and slid her out of the hospital robe and into the bed time clothes. It hurt him, hurt him worse than anything in the world to have to help his comatose wife into her clothing. He cried all the while, not trying to even think about the fact that she may never wake up again.

_Jack, I wanna go home_

_So do I, Poe_

Jack laid her in the bed and tucked her in. "So do I, Poe. So do I." He felt his tears running across his cheeks, but made no move to stop them. He put himself into some long pajamas and a shirt crawled into bed next to her. He turned out the light and watched her silhouette in the darkness.

His hands went to her swelling belly. His hands smoothed the surface. "Hey there, little one. Daddy's home. Daddy's…" His voice trailed as a tiny '_thump, thump'_ pounded against her belly. Jack smiled and his tears returned, but this time they were tears of joy.

He gave Popuri a small kiss on her lips and whispered in her ear, "I love you, my sweet angel. We're home now."

XxXxXxX

He came without warning. No chanting girls, no distant bell, no resounding footsteps heralding his arrival. At once, Ace was simply _there_ in front of Jack, standing like the imposing figure he always was.

"I guess I really made a mess of things." Ace said.

"It wasn't just you. Remember when I wanted to leave? I guess that was once heck of a fight, though I didn't?"

"Yeah." Ace smiled, putting his hands on his hips. "Look, you gotta get some of that muscle back. You got an image to maintain. Mostly mine. And promise me you're going to take good care of pinky for me, okay? She deserves a guy like you."

Jack frowned, "What're you saying, Ace?"

Ace just grinned, spreading his arms out wide, "I'm saying good-bye, dumbass. You were right. All your friends were right. There's no place for me in Flowerbud. With Butch, St. Claire, and Black outta the way, you shouldn't have any more trouble. From here on out, it's smooth sailing for Jack."

Jack frowned deeper, looking more worried. "Ace, you can't leave. You're still part of me. I still need you."

Ace shook his head. "No, you don't need me. Not like you used to. I'd just be in the back, remembering the old days, wishing for the lights, the pain, the glory, the fame." He held up his hand, "I'd just be a future problem. Best if I leave now, before I cause you trouble later and while I still have the heart for it. If I stay…well, remember the story about the Fox and the Scorpion? How the Scorpion wanted to cross the river, so he asked the Fox to carry him over. The Fox said, _"No, I won't do it because you'll sting me."_ The Scorpion replied, _"No I won't. I promise I will not sting you."_ So the Fox carried the Scorpion on his back. Halfway across the river, the Scorpion stings the Fox. The Fox looks at him and says, _"Why did you sting me? Now we'll both die."_ And the Scorpion says—"

"_I can't help it. It's my nature."_ Jack finished, nodding, "Right."

"I don't want to sting you again." Ace said, "Next time, you might not come back from it. It's time for Ace Valentine to disappear. Not entirely…I'll always be there, in a few ways. You've got enough of me in you now that you really don't need me, Jack. Not really. So I chose to go."

Jack nodded, "I'm going to miss you, Ace." He held his hand out.

Ace grasped his hand and pulled the farmer closer to him. "And I'm going to miss _you_, you little wimp."

Jack laughed, "I love ya, Ace. I won't forget you."

"You'd better not. And take care of that boy. Make sure he grows up good. And love Pinky enough for both of us, okay?" Ace asked.

Jack grinned, "Promise."

With that, Ace turned his back to Jack and began walking off, singing a little Jimmy Hendrix as he faded away into nothingness. _"Well, I stand up next to a mountain…and I chop it down with the edge of my hand. If I don't meet you no more in this world, I see ya in the next one...and don't be late."_

XxXxXxX

Gathered around the Christmas tree in Rose Square, the people of Flowerbud stood solemnly silent as Pastor Carter approached with Gotz next to him wearing a Santa outfit, his beard died white. Everyone stood about, huddled and cold, but wanting to do this. They held candles in their hands, the snow still falling lightly.

Pastor Carter spoke. "Dear friends and family. We are gathered here today to celebrate the Christmas holidays and the birth of our savior. I know most of you feel this Christmas is empty because Jack and Popuri are still in comas, but let our prayers be heard, that they should wake from these comas and rejoin us. Let their lives be touched and let our prayers be with them. May Jack always be as strong and true as we have know him to be."

"And may he always be just as good-looking and charming as he always has been!" Jack's voice suddenly belted out. The entire village spun in shock, turning to see Jack standing behind them.

And standing next to him, still pale, was Popuri, smiling along with him as she spied the gathering in her and Jack's honor.

The next few minutes were a gauntlet of hugs, kisses, tears, and merriment as the village fought to see them, touch them, speak to them, whisper their words of thanks and love to the couple they knew so well. Jack winked to the Doc, who was befuddled that Popuri was up at all. Jack had told him that she wanted to go home and go home she had. On Christmas morning of Jack's second year, he had opened his eyes and found Popuri opening hers, staring at Jack in wonder.

That had been the happiest moment of his life. It was like falling in love with her all over again. They had embraced and snuggled and resisted the urge to make love until the doctor told them it was okay.

The presents that year were all for Jack and Popuri, though some others changed hands. The entire village was nestled into the care and love of Jack and Popuri. It was never any wonder to anyone and years later, there never seemed to be any memory of Ace Valentine or his antics.

Jack and Popuri returned home and to their way of life. Within weeks, they had knocked off the effects of their comas. Were that normal or not didn't matter to them. Not even death could keep them apart. They began to receive an outpouring of heartfelt letters from those in town. Among those letters was an invitation to Cliff and Ann's wedding, as the Inn keeper's daughter was also swelling at the belly, but had stayed their marriage until both Jack and Popuri could attend.

Jack and Popuri also got pictures and letters from Kai and Karen. Jack smiled and as he had predicted, each picture that passed saw the personal distance between Kai and Karen diminish until each picture was the two of them arm-in-arm. Kai wrote Jack long letters, telling his usual tales and promising his and Karen's return in the Summer. He also confided in Jack his deepening feelings for Karen until Jack one day got a single letter with Kai's confirmation of their relationship.

"_Dear Jack._

_I just wanted to say I know how you feel now. I know how it's felt to finally give my heart to another. I love her so much…and I know she loves me. She told me that. She sees what I do and knows my job and she doesn't care. We love each other so much…I don't know how much longer I can keep my feelings from her._"

Jack sent a letter back saying only, _"Just tell her, you idiot! Be happy!"_

The very next letter went straight into a picture frame. It was a photo of Kai and Karen at a drive-thru chapel in Las Vegas with Kai blushing and smiling and Karen kissing him on his cheeks. She had wedding dress on and Kai a tux. They were both looking into the camera. Scrawled onto the back was the phrase. _"We are happy, Jack."_ The time on the picture was 1:13 am.

And underneath that in Karen's handwriting was, _"9:47 am. Very, very happy. Yes, we are."_

Jack smiled. _"Only took them eight hours to find that out, eh?"_

Jack resumed his farming, finding that in his absence, Rick, May, and Cliff had been pitching in to keep the livestock fed, but no crops had grown. Come Spring, Jack felt as if he were starting all over again, but he didn't mind it. He dove into his life's work with a renewed vigor and with Poprui at his side, ready to deliver their baby soon, he knew he was the luckiest guy in the world.

What else could have made them happier?

XxXxXxX

It was the first day of summer and the sun was gone, the glow still illuminating the night well enough to see. Jack sat down next to Popuri, who was resting in bed, looking rested for all she had been through. Jack leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Feeling better?"

"I'll feel better once I can get on my feet." She said, looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes, "And once I can get you alone."

"Doc said not for another few weeks." Jack said.

Popuri pouted, but Jack enveloped her in his arms. "I love you, Popuri."

She hugged him with one arm. "And I love you, Jack."

"I'm going to get some air. I'll be back." Jack smiled. He stopped near the door to pick up a bundle and then went out into the summer evening. As he stood by the front door, holding the bundle in his arms and listening to the crickets sings, he felt his heart swell beyond measurement. Surely, this was why he lived and breathed. He closed his eyes, "Thank you, Lord." Jack had much he thanked God for these days.

"Amigo!" A yelped came from the farm entrance. Jack spun to see Kai standing there, Cliff at his side. The two of them came forward and slapped Jack on the back.

"Congrats, Amigo. I just heard." Kai said.

"Where's Karen?" Jack asked.

"She's back at her parents place." Kai smiled, "But, ah, I hope you were discreet about our little thing in Vegas."

Jack pretended to pull his lips shut like a zipper. "Not a word."

Kai nodded. "Good, cause her parents don't know. I'm gonna ask permission while I'm here, give her a Blue Feather, and do it the Flowerbud way. Hopefully, they won't be the wiser about us marrying without their permission."

Jack laughed, "What about you Cliff? Married life been good to you?"

Cliff shrugged, "Truth be told, Jack, I married that girl my first day here. The only thing that's changed with us is the ring on our fingers. Is that…uh…her?" He pointed to the bundle in Jack's.

"That's her alright." Jack pulled aside the swath, revealing the face of his newborn baby girl. The tiny baby slept soundly, her hands curled into tiny fists in front of her face. her head of dark brown hair every bit as silky dark as Jack's was.

"Man…she's a cutie, alright." Kai said, "I envy you, Jack."

"Me, too." Cliff said.

"You guys won't envy me long. Won't be too long you'll be stuck with you own bundles of joy."

Kai and Cliff leaned back, not laughing, but taking in the way their lives would soon resemble Jack's. The three young men looked off into the horizon, not sure of what tomorrow would bring, but confident that they would have the women they loved by their sides as they did so.

"Looks like we'll all be taking our kids to one another's birthday parties." Cliff said. "No more wild romances or flings or things like that. Jack, I _know_ you'd never fall out of love with Popuri."

Jack smiled, "Well, if I ever did, you know what I could do?"

Kai grinned, but asked anyway. "What's that?"

Jack just shrugged, "Oh, you know…sell my wife."


	41. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

Butch "The Cleaver" Cliver stepped into the spotlight from out of the empty darkness. How had he come to this place? He approached the two figures within the light, seeing clearly that it was Jim Black and Aaron St. Claire.

"Hey, what happened?" Butch asked.

"I don't know." Jim said, "One minute that little girl is trying to drown me and the next thing I know I'm walking in here."

"I can't see anything." St. Claire said, calling out, "Hello? Is there anyone here?!"

_BONG!_

The three men looked around, a sudden bell ringing from out of nowhere. Jim Black swallowed nervously. "What was that?"

A little girl giggled somewhere behind them. They spun around, looking for the source of the noise.

"_One, two…Ace is comin' for you!"_

"I don't like this." Jim said.

"Man up, you pussy!" Butch said, looking into the darkness, "Get out here where I can see you!

_BONG!_

"_Three, Four…Lock your door."_

As if she were right next to him, Butch heard a little girl whisper, _"Are you scared?"_

_Thump…thump…thump…thump_

"What the hell is going on here!" St. Claire cried out.

The little girls chanted in unison, _"He's he-e-ere!"_

"_GENTLEMAN!"_ The loud, booming voice cried out. _"WELCOME TO ETERNITY!"_

Jim Black, Aaron St. Claire, and Butch Cliverspun around at the owner of the voice. He stood behind them, clad in black, silky brown hair framing his strong face, intelligent, cunning, impervious eyes glaring at them. A cruel smile greeted them, hands on hips, showing himself off to them. Jim and Aaron took a step backwards, but Butch widened his eyes. "Ace?"

Ace Valentine laughed, stepping forward, "The one and only. You gents made a **BIG **mistake picking on my boy, Jack."

"Ace, what're you doing here?" Butch asked.

Ace smiled broader, "Let's just say I decided to do something with all the free time I've been given by my new boss. I've been…_reassigned_, you might say."

"To what?" Butch asked.

"To _**YOU!**_**" **Ace cried, raising his hands. As if on cue, lights flashed on, revealing a crowd of millions, wreathed in fire, surrounding a wrestling ring that the four of them stood in. The crowd's deafening road chanted his named _**"VAL-EN-TINE! VAL-EN-TINE! VAL-EN-TINE!**_

"What the hell is this?!" Aaron, Jim, and Butch all cried at once.

Ace laughed, bellowing in an unearthly voice, _**"WELCOME TO YOUR OWN PERSONA HELL! I HOPE YOU LIKE PAIN, BECAUSE FOR THE NEXT...OH, ETERNITY, I'M GOING TO BE DISHING IT OUT IN SPADES. MORE PAIN AND SUFFERING THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW!"**_

Butch ground his teeth together and charged forward, his fist connected with Ace's face, but bounced off it like it was made of stone. Ace laughed and tossing a punch at Butch that drove them man all the way across the ring, his nose broken and in more pain than he had ever known. But there would be no relief from his pain. Not now, not ever.

Jim Black tried running away, but Ace grabbed him and drove his knee into Jim's back, sending the man into convulsing screams. Ace reached over and grabbed Aaron and picked him up, then brought him down in the Mountainside Massacre, pushing St. Claire's shoulder into the vicinity of his hip. But no matter what excruciating thing he did to them, their wounds always seemed ready for another terrible blow. No matter how they tried, they couldn't escape the ring or the cruel hands of Ace Valentine.

Ace laughed out loud, booming so loudly that it was all they could hear, _**"HAHAHA! IRONIC ISN'T IT? YOUR PERSONAL HELL IS MY PERSONAL HEAVEN! AND NOW AND FOREVER MORE, YOU THREE WILL SUFFER AT MY HANDS, UNDER THE CROWD THAT WILL ALWAYS EXALT ME AS THE LEGEND I AM! COME ON, BOYS! LET'S BRING ON THE PAIN!"**_

And so he did. Forever and ever, unto the end of time.

END VOLUME ONE.


End file.
